Dreaming of More
by BlueyedHybrid
Summary: Kagome is a young woman who is heavily into "The Walking Dead." After her time in the Feudal era she needed an escape, and the show was perfect. She wishes more than anything that men like Daryl and Glenn were real, and one night she wishes on a shooting star. Her wish comes true, and she finds herself thrown into her favorite show. (Set after Kagome returns from the past).
1. Chapter 1

**Gah, I shouldn't be starting another story, but I can't help it. I'm so scatter brained on my others, and this thought just wouldn't leave me alone! This will not have a set update schedule (Like I've ever really stuck to one anyway lol) nor will it have set chapter lengths. Some will be short, others will be longer. This is going to be a fun fic, yes it will have drama, romance, and some gore but that's beside the point ;). Hope everyone enjoys this!**

**I DO NOT own ANYTHING of TWD, Inuyasha, Netflix, Xbox, or any other name brand or patented idea in this story. I'm going to say this once! I DO NOT own anything!**

It wasn't fair, and no matter how she looked at it the fact remained. Men in real life just weren't like men in the television shows, and it was depressing. After everything she had endured in the past, everything with Inuyasha and Kikyo, to even Koga being possessive didn't change her mind. Kagome had tried when she had discovered that the well had sealed, she had tried dating. But Hojo was a bore, and no other man had stood up to her expectations or hopes. She had become so used to none stop fights, battles, danger, and adrenaline, that the men of her era didn't compare. The only ones she had found, were fictional characters in shows. So she had become a recluse, pretty much doing nothing in her free time but reading fictional stories or watching tv shows.

Her new addiction was the wonderful show The Walking Dead. It was high action, and the walkers served as the near unstoppable danger that demons had been before. Now if only men like Daryl and Glenn existed. Kagome had instantly loved how Glenn's character was sweet, a little naïve early on, but sweet. Then in came Daryl Dixon and she thought her eyes would roll out of her head, he was the ruff gruff type she had always liked. Kagome also loved how they had developed his personality over the course of five seasons, perfection. Even now as she sat watching the beginning of the first season over again, she couldn't help but compare his initial appearance with the more current Daryl.

"It's just not fair." She whined. It was pathetic that a twenty-four year old woman was infatuated with a fictional person. Though she knew she wasn't the only one, it still didn't make her feel any less silly.

"Then just jump through the screen." She heard her little brother say behind her, to which she threw a pillow at him without looking away from her show. "What was that for?" he asked.

"Leave me and Daryl alone." She said.

"Freak!"

"Souta, I got two words for you…Scarlet Johansson!" she retorted.

"Touché!"

She heard him leave the living room grumbling, and then continued to watch her show while smirking. Souta knew better than to interrupt her during her show time, considering that her job only allowed her one day a week to be lazy. After returning to her time she decided to finish her school, and surprising everyone managed to get her bachelor's degree as well. She was now a Department Manager for a large retail store. She had considered going for something with History, but she had then decided against it and went for a degree in business. She didn't want an overly stressful career, even though her current one was pushing it, but she had wanted something ordinary. A complete break away from what her life had been previously, and she rather enjoyed her job. But she did work six days a week, and she still had to deal with calls on her day off. Though, it was nothing she couldn't handle.

Now her eighteen year old brother and her lived together away from the shrine, something that had relieved a lot of financial stress off her mother. Souta had recently started college himself while working a part time job, so things were comfortable. Kagome made enough to sustain the apartment they shared and then some, but Souta pitched in for food and the like while still being able to save most of his checks. It was a good life for the both of them, Souta had wanted to keep an eye on his sister and she wanted company. The perfect situation for them. Now, if only she could find a worthwhile boyfriend. It was the only thing that she didn't have that Souta had, a love interest. There had been plenty of guys that asked her out, but none caught her interest. She had been spoiled, and she refused to settle for anything less than what she felt she deserved.

Pausing the show on Netflix, she leaned her head back on the couch and sighed. Kagome stared at the blue ceiling, just lost in thought. She and Souta had agreed on the décor of the place, a deep royal blue adorned the ceiling, which was accentuated by the furniture and wall art. His room was done in greens, while hers was done in purples. The kitchen reflected the living room, though the walls were blue while the ceiling and trim were cream. She loved their home, but she was getting tired of feeling lonely when he wasn't home. Something was going to have to give soon, though she still refused to go out to clubs with her coworkers. Granted she had a blast when she did, but she just hadn't felt like it recently. Standing and walking into the kitchen, she decided to make her snack and then she would resume her show. Just as she had popped a bowl of leftover chili in the microwave, her phone rang. Groaning, she reached into her pocket and pulled it out.

"This is Kagome." She said.

"Kags, thank God! I have a problem…" she heard one of her employees say. Rolling her eyes, she cut her off.

"Leigha, the power button is on the side of the monitor."

"I know that NOW! Geez, I have ONE blonde moment…"

"Just one?" Kagome asked with a smirk, considering the girl was a complete ditz.

"Yes, now anyways! I have a problem, I said I could work tomorrow but I kinda need it off instead?"

"You called me for this? Why do you need off with such short notice?" Kagome asked. Hearing the microwave ding, she moved to stir her food then popped it back in for a few more minutes.

"Because I forgot that some friends of mine had wanted me to go to a concert with them…" Kagome could hear the hesitation in her voice, and had to close her eyes.

"Leigha, I have two people on vacation, and one about to go on maternity leave. I really cannot let anyone take off tomorrow unless it's a life or death situation."

"But it IS life or death! It's a Panic at the Disco concert!" the girl screeched into the phone, and Kagome had to move it away from her ear.

"Look, I'm sorry. But you know that for you to be able to take a day off for none emergency reasons that I need at least two weeks' notice. I'm going to have to deny your request." She said with her stern voice.

"It's not fair!"

"Life's not fair hun, now I'll see you in the morning. And don't think about calling in sick either, you tried that the last time and nearly got fired." Kagome replied.

"Fine." Leigha mumbled then the line went dead. About that time the microwave sounded off, putting her phone back in her pocket, and then grabbed her food and headed back to the living room. Such was her life now, dull phone spats with her underlings, and fantasizing about fictional men. 'Oh how the strong fall.' She thought ruefully, grabbing her Xbox remote and starting the show again.

~ooOoo~

Later that night, Kagome sat out on her bedroom balcony. Overlooking the city in all its glory, and she loved every second of it. Yeah, it wasn't the silent and peaceful feudal era, but it was still calming to her. She sat in her lounge chair with her feet up on the railing, with her head tilted back and staring up at what stars she could see. They weren't as bountiful as they had once been, but they were still a sight. Just as her eyes were about to close, since she was getting drowsy, she caught a flash of light out of the side of her eyes. She looked quickly, and saw a shooting star fade into the night. Suddenly a rush of childhood excitement ran through her, and she found herself closing her eyes and making a wish. Something she used to do as a child, but hadn't done since. She had grown out of a lot of her old habits since being subjected to the past, but for some reason she felt the need to now. After a few moments, she opened her eyes again. With a small smile, she stood and closed the door, then crawled into her bed and quickly found sleep.

The last thought she remembered having before sleep found her, was her wish and how absurd it had been.

**Please Review and let me know how you liked it, if you have any ideas for the future of this story let me know and I will see what I can do. Though no promises ;) Thanks.**

**P.S. This will be a Kagome/Daryl pairing, and I WILL NOT change it :P lol.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I have added a little to this chapter from the original, hope everyone likes it!**

Something wasn't right, Kagome didn't remember her bed being this hard, or lumpy. It was also warmer than she remembered her room being, and what the hell was the awful smell! Stretching, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes before she finally opened them. Then she had to freeze, this wasn't her room. The last she knew…there were no TREES in her 5th floor apartment. Glancing around she saw that she was outside, in the woods, and not in her bed. Slowly sitting up, she realized that she was still in her pj pants and tank top. But everything was different, where the hell was she? How did she get there? It sure didn't look like the feudal era, or Japan period! Then she heard a rustling in the bushes, and she froze. Not making a sound, Kagome stood to her feet and quickly grabbed a nearby stick. It was thick enough to serve as a weapon, but she hoped she didn't have to use it.

As she waited, she noticed that the noise didn't sound like an animal. It was a shuffling sound, and then she heard the wheezing grunts. 'What the hell?' she thought. Then the thing emerged into her view, and she nearly screamed. 'Oh fuck no! No, no, no, this has to be a nightmare!' she thought in her head as she stumbled back. Right in front of her, and gaining ground, was a walker. A stumbling, groaning, jaw snapping, bite covered, brainless corpse on legs. Kagome froze, she couldn't believe her eyes. She had to be having a nightmare, because there was no way this was real! She quickly began to take steps backwards, away from the creature. She was just too shaken to do anything else, even though when she had been watching this from her couch the scenario had been different in her mind. She had always thought that if she was in this situation that it would be easy, they didn't move fast so it shouldn't be too hard to shove something through its head.

Before she could think anything else, the walker suddenly stopped in his tracks, then fell to the ground. An arrow protruding out of the back of its skull, and she stopped breathing. Slowly looking up, her heart nearly replicated her lungs. Standing about ten feet behind the fallen walker, was Daryl Dixon. Her eyes bugged, and her mouth went dry. Then another person came up behind him, and she looked over. Rick Grimes stepped up, and she felt faint.

"This has to be a dream!" she whispered to herself, though they had heard her.

"Miss, have you seen a little girl?" she heard Rick ask. Looking up, she shook her head.

"No." she replied. Seeing the disappointed looks on both their faces, it hit her that they were looking for Sophia. 'That's where I was in the show, before making that wish!' it all came back to her now. She had wished that she could be in the show, to have that excitement again. Closing her eyes, she had to steady herself. "It worked." She whispered again.

"What worked? Who are you?" Daryl asked. He was becoming suspicious of the small framed Asian girl. He wasn't as racist as people thought him to be though, that had been Merle's influence.

"I just, I…um. I'm sorry, I'm a little disoriented. This wasn't where I fell asleep last night, um…My names Kagome." She was SO thankful she had studied English in school, she was fluent. It had helped her in her career, and now it was a huge asset.

"Welcome to the apocalypse, sister." Daryl said.

"Are you alone?" Rick asked.

"Yes." She replied.

"Are you armed?" he asked.

"Unless you count this, then no." she retorted sarcastically while holding up the stick. Though she could tell that they didn't find her funny, and with a flick of her wrist she sent the stick flying back to the ground. Then held up her hands. "Does it look like I have any weapons?" she asked.

"You said this wasn't where you fell asleep, then how did you get here?" Daryl asked, not once lowering his crossbow.

"I don't know." she answered, it wasn't lying so she didn't feel bad.

Then she saw them share a look, and she knew they were going to ask her if she wanted to join them. Which she would, and since she knew the show so well, she would know what was coming. Though she didn't know how her presence here would affect anything, but that was something she wasn't unfamiliar with though. Seeing how her trips to the feudal era had been a similar risk.

"You're welcome to join us, as long as you follow our rules." Rick said.

"Agreed." She said. She watched as Daryl yanked the arrow out of the walkers head, then with a glance, they turned and headed back the way they came. Kagome followed them, once again thankful, but this time for how tough her feet were due to her time in the past. She didn't have any shoes or socks on, and the ground was no plush carpet.

~ooOoo~

Kagome didn't know how exactly she had gotten herself into this mess, but she regretted making that damn wish. Now, here she stood with a gun in her face. It didn't help that it was Andrea on the other side of said weapon, Kagome knew how unstable the chick was and it did nothing to calm her nerves.

"Andrea, put the gun down." She heard Rick say, then it was echoed by most of the group.

"Who is she?" Andrea demanded. They had returned back to the RV empty handed, except with Kagome in tow. It had upset the group, most of all Carol and Andrea. Carol for obvious reasons, and Andrea just because it was a new person. 'This broad needs some serious xanax!' Kagome thought.

"My name is Kagome, and I mean you no harm." She said. Kagome wasn't feeling too confident at the moment, considering she was still in her sleep clothes. She was hoping that someone would let her borrow some clothes until she could scrounge some up for herself, if the psycho would put the firearm down.

"How do we know that?" she demanded.

"Andrea! Enough." Dale said. It seemed to do the trick, and she finally lowered her arm. Instantly everyone calmed down, and they all took a good look at the girl.

"How old are you?" Lori asked.

"Twenty-four."

"Do you know how to use a weapon?" Shane said. Kagome had never liked him, and being glared at by him wasn't helping his case.

"Yes, I'm an expert Archer and I'm a decent shot with any gun." She replied. "Now, if I may ask a question…Can I please borrow some clothes?"

"You can borrow some of mine, you look to be about my size." She heard Carol say. She turned to her with a smile, and thanked her. It didn't take long for her to change into the jeans, short sleeved blue top, and tennis shoes. Now that she was alone, she finally took the time to take in her new situation. She had no idea that damn wish would come true, and now that it had, how the hell was she going to get home this time? There was no well, the jewel had been reabsorbed into her body, and considering a wish had brought her here...she was screwed!


	3. Chapter 3

**I've fixed a few things in this chapter as well, enjoy!**

If she hadn't been a time traveling girl, she probably would've already gone crazy. This stuff just didn't happen, but then again she shouldn't have been so surprised. She had seen the dead rise before, but then again Kikyo had never tried to bite her. Leaning back and running a hand down her face, she sighed loudly and then stood. She was going to have to figure out how to get home, out of this nightmare. Yeah she had wished to be here, but honestly, who in their right mind wished to be in a zombie apocalypse? 'Apparently me.' She thought sarcastically as she stood. Sighing she stepped into the small bathroom area, and looked in the mirror. Running her fingers through her long hair, then pulling it up into a messy bun with a hair tie she always had on her wrist, she left her bangs to hang down. Rummaging through dales stuff, she found some deodorant and applied some. She would need to find her own toothbrush and stuff, probably whenever they did a run for supplies. Looking back at her reflection, it finally hit her that this was happening, and as always she adapted. Her mind was already in survival mode, and she would face this new challenge like all the others. Making sure she was presentable, she made her way out of the vehicle.

When she stepped outside, she saw everyone huddled around. Most likely talking about whether to let her stay or not, though with the look on Shane's face they were going to let her. He didn't look pleased, but then again that was his nature. She knew how that scenario was going to work out, and she had no intentions of interrupting it. He was an unnecessary character to her, so she'd just let things go naturally. As soon as they saw her they stopped talking, which didn't phase her.

"So, am I staying or going?" she asked, and then she saw the slightly guilty looks come from Carol and a couple of others.

"I want to see you handle a weapon first." Shane said. Kagome just cocked a brow, then looked to Rick. She knew too well that he was the leader of the group, and if he agreed then she would do it.

"It wouldn't hurt to know how good you are, but I say you can stay either way." Rick replied as he glanced around the group, and it seemed that most shared his opinion.

"Ok." She agreed. She stepped forward as Daryl held out his bow.

"You said you were an expert archer." He said.

"I did, but I've never shot a crossbow because I've normally used a long bow." She said while taking the bow from him. Then she glanced around to find a suitable target, and she liked the look of a corpse on top of a car several yards away. She raised, aimed, and fired the bow all in less than five seconds. Shane sprinted to where they saw the arrow, and then quickly looked back at Kagome. She could feel his scrutiny, he was surprised, and not in a pleasant way.

"She got it in the eye." He yelled back. Kagome smirked, that had been what she was aiming at. She hadn't lost her touch, thankfully. She'd need all her past knowledge here, including the hand to hand combat she had been taught. If Shane's behavior was any indication, she would need it for the living more so than the dead.

"Damn, nice shot." Daryl said. He was impressed, she rivaled him in aim and accuracy.

"Thanks." She said and tried not to blush. He was much more attractive in person, and his eyes looked so much better in person. Next Rick handed her his handgun, and she found that it was lighter than it looked. She turned to the body that was now arrowless, raised, aimed, and fired. She was a little slower with the gun than she was with the bow, but Shane confirmed that she had hit it in the same spot as the arrow. "Satisfied?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah I am." Rick said with a smile. Even though Shane didn't looked pleased, everyone else looked appeased. Kagome handed his gun back, and then Lori came up and handed her a slightly smaller handgun.

"Here's a spare that you can carry." She said.

"Thank you." Kagome replied, which Lori returned the smile. After that focus went back to Sophia, and once again, Kagome knew how that was going to end and her stomach churned. She felt nauseous that she was going to have to watch this unfold in person, and there was nothing she could do about it. She didn't dare mess with the show's timeline, she didn't know what would happen if she did. Glancing around, she noticed that a guy was standing off to the side. He was leaning against a car, holding his arm tight against him. 'Oh yeah.' She thought, it was T-dog. She had forgotten that he had severely injured his arm and would end up getting a blood infection. Well this was something she could prevent since it had no other bearing on the shows timeline, he didn't have to go through that pain. Kagome moved up beside him with a small smile.

"Hey, I'm Kagome."

"T-dog." he replied with a nod.

"I noticed you're injured, I was wondering if you'd like me to take a look?" she asked with a smile.

"You know how to bandage an arm?" he asked with a smirk. He thought she was cute, and it was nice having a new face around.

"And a lot more than that." She replied. She kneeled down, and pulled the makeshift wrap from his arm. Instantly she knew that it was already infected, and getting worse quickly. Standing up she moved to ask Dale if he had any medical supplies available, to which he left to look for them.

"How bad is it?" T-Dog asked while wincing. She was gently prodding the gash, and she felt the fever, as well as saw the puss coming from it.

"Bad, if I don't get it disinfected now it will develop gangrene." She replied. She heard someone come up behind her, and assumed it was Dale. However when a bag full of pill bottles came into her vision, she leaned back slightly, then looked up to meet Daryl's eyes.

"These will help, my brother's got a badass stash." He said with a smirk. He knew he had startled her a little, but didn't say nothing about it.

"Uh, thanks." She had completely forgot about Daryl having Merle's stuff, and she wanted to kick herself. Then again she couldn't go about knowing things like that, she wasn't supposed to know everything about what they had been through. Much less what they were going to face over the next year or so.

"Don't mention it." Then Daryl turned and walked off. Kagome watched him go, then turned back to her patient. Quickly plucking two antibiotics from their bottle, she had T-dog down them, then she started cleaning the wound once Dale came out. She glanced around slowly, making sure no one was paying attention to her. Then she allowed a little of her rieki to seep from her fingers into the wound, instantly the puss receded and the fever lessened. She didn't dare risk completely healing him, though she could, but she didn't need anyone questioning her. This kind of power didn't exist in this world, but at least now the medications would work twice as fast. At this rate, he would heal a lot quicker than he had when she had watched the show. Now, she just had to watch herself. Kagome had to be careful about what she said, or what she did. She knew the future, she knew everything up to a point that they would go through. She might be able to make things a little better for them with her knowledge, but she couldn't chance too much.


	4. Chapter 4

"It's a good idea." Kagome said while crossing her arms over her chest.

"How're you so sure?" Daryl yelled. "We don't know what really happened!" He didn't like not knowing, and Kagome's calm demeanor was irritating him without Daryl understanding why.

The group had just returned minus Rick, Carl, Shane, and Lori. Glenn had mentioned a girl riding in all zorro style and telling them that Carl had been shot. All of which Kagome knew to be true, but Daryl was being skeptical. Even though she knew they would go anyway, it would be weird if she DIDN'T say anything.

"I know that, but it's better than being on a highway out in the open. That, and T-dog needs to be stitched. I don't have anything that will work properly, maybe these other people do." She replied, with Dale nodding his head in agreement. Everyone was feeling vulnerable in their current location, and eager to find somewhere else to park their caravan. Kagome could feel the tension in the group, especially from Carol.

"What about Sophia?" Carol asked. Hearing the desperation in her voice really hurt Kagome, and there was nothing she could do about it. The poor girl was already lost, though it would be a while before they knew that.

"We'll continue to look, but this isn't the best place to be." Dale replied, motioning to the area.

"But…what if she comes back? And we're not here?" Carol asked desperately.

"We'll leave some supplies for her, and we can check back frequently." Glenn answered. It seemed to help, and after a few minutes Carol agreed. Kagome had watched the interaction, and noted that being a part of the group instead of an outsider watching was much harder. She could feel the emotions, the tension, and the fear. And even though she knew what was going to happen, they're emotions and feelings were quickly becoming her own.

oOoOo

As soon as they arrived at the farm, Kagome felt the tension build further. Otis was dead, but Carl would survive. She cut her eyes over to Shane, knowing what really happened the night before during the run. She knew that Shane didn't start out intending to kill the man, but in the end he intentionally incapacitated Otis to save his own neck. In doing so he saved Carl, but the fact that Shane was willing to do what he did was inexcusable. Apparently feeling her stare, Shane looked to Kagome. They made eye contact for a few minutes, and in that moment Kagome could see his dislike for her increase. When he turned to walk away, she turned to see that Dale witnessed the interaction. He had been the only one to truly suspect Shane of any wrongdoing, and he had been right.

She just nodded her head at him, then turned to follow the others toward the house. Everyone wanted to know how Carl was doing, and she wanted to heal him a little more so he was out of danger.

Stepping into the bedroom, she saw how pale and sweaty the boy was. Her heart ached as she remembered Shippo, he and Carl were so much alike it hurt. Though once Lori and Rick nodded telling her it was ok for her to be there, she smiled. Kagome sat on the bedside, and held the boys hand. Without anyone noticing, she assessed his body with her aura. He was going to survive, as she already knew, but with a little push of power his pain eased. The internal bruising faded, and his lungs were able to suck in more air than before. Pleased with his increased health, she excused herself to back outside.

The sun was warm on her face, and for the moment she marvelled at the beauty of Hershal's farm. She had thought it was pretty when shew as simply a fan of the show, but in person it was breathtaking. Movement caught her eye, and she glanced over to see Daryl watching her from a distance. Feeling the slight flush to her cheeks, she turned to join the others once again as they mourned a lost loved one.

oOoOo

After everyone paid their respects to the Greene family during their funeral for Otis, Kagome slipped away to be alone for a bit. It was so different being a part of the story, and the fact that she already was attached to certain people didn't help. Rounding the corner of the house heading toward the fields, she nearly ran into a chest. Thankfully her quick reflexes kept her from slamming into the person, and when she looked up she regretted choosing this direction.

"Shane." She said, then tried going around him. Only to find he moved to block her path, both times. Glaring up at him, she backed away slightly just to have him follow her. "What do you want?" she asked.

"I don't like you." He replied.

"The feeling is mutual."

"You gotta smart mouth on ya, girl."

"And I find yours quite foul and ignorant!" she popped back. "What do you want Shane?"

"I want to know where you're from. We don't know anything about you, and I think you're hiding something." He sneered, and when her back hit the side of the house he had her caged in. With his arms on either side of her head, he towered over her. Though if she really wanted to she could bring him to the ground, he was in no way stronger than Sesshoumaru, who had been her trainer before. She wasn't afraid of Shane, but she was concerned. She was a wildcard now, and she had to be cautious of her impacts in the group.

"I don't see how that's any of your business, I don't know anything about any of you! I haven't done a damn thing to you either!" she retorted, staring him straight in the eye.

"Maybe, but something's up…and I WILL figure it out." He said, then suddenly looked her over. The look that came over his face gave her the creeps, but she didn't show it. She knew that she was considered attractive, though it had never mattered to her or gone to her head. Though it had gotten her into some unwanted positions, like that one time with Mukotsu. Damn poison master didn't comprehend the word 'consensual' but that hadn't been the only instance, too many to keep track of. Now it seemed that this douche bag was getting similar ideas, and Kagome would rather be fed to horde of walkers.

"You're disgusting." She growled at him. "I don't know what Lori ever saw in you!" She didn't mean to say the last part, but he was pissing her off and she slipped.

"What…How do you know about that?" he stuttered, caught off guard. Though it didn't take long before his anger came back full force, she could feel it radiating through his aura.

"It's painfully obvious you're after her…I wonder if she's told Rick yet." She trailed off leaving his mind to fill in the possibilities.

"I'd watch that mouth of yours if I was you, might get you in more trouble than you'd like." He replied, sweeping his gaze over her body again.

"I can handle myself." She retorted, while also fighting her skins desire to crawl at his behavior.

"Are you so sure?" He got right in her face, before pushing himself off and leaving. When he was no longer in sight, Kagome let out the breath she had been holding. Shaking her head, she redirected her route away from him and the others. She wasn't even paying attention to her direction any longer, or that she was nearing a small campsite.

"He thinks he's so tough!" She whispered to herself. "Asshole!"

"Who pissed you off?" a deep voice penetrated her thoughts and brought her back to herself. Jerking her head up, she saw Daryl sitting with his back against a tree. His bike leaned on its stand nearby, and a hole dug for a fire. When his words finally made sense in her head, she huffed and crossed her arms.

"Shane." She replied. Then made to walk away and leave him alone, but was stopped by his short chuckle.

"Yeah, he's a piece of work." Daryl replied as he continued to sharpen an arrow. "What'd he do?" he asked. Kagome contemplated whether to tell him, and then decided against it.

"Nothing really, he just gets on my nerves!" she lied while kicking at a rock on the ground. She really wished there were a demon around that she could purify, just for some tension relief. Then she remembered that wishing for stupid stuff was how she had ended up in this mess in the first place.

"Hm, I get that." He brought the stick up to inspect it, then glanced at her. Several minutes passed where they just stared at each other, like he was inspecting her as he had done with his arrow. She allowed it, because if she was honest with herself she liked the attention. Especially from him, she had liked him before and being in close proximity just made it worse. She just hoped that he didn't notice, she had had enough rejection in her life. She knew that other than the possibility of Carol, and some hoped with Beth later on, that Daryl really didn't care much for that sort of thing.

"Why are you all the way out here?" she broke the silence.

"Same as you." He said. Finally looking away from her and back at the house, where everyone was moving around doing their own thing. Even from such a distance Kagome could see Shane hovering near Lori, while Rick was no doubt inside with Carl.

"I guess you and I are the black sheep of the group." She said.

"Somethin' like that." He then turned and went back to sharpening sticks. She watched him for a moment, then moved to sit down on a rock opposite of him.

"You going to look for Sophia?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"I wanna come." She said, she couldn't remember which time it was that he was going to be injured, but it would be better if she was there. Considering he would live, it didn't matter that she was there to help.

"Why? You didn't know her?" he said. She could tell it wasn't condescending, he was simply curious.

"Because I can't just sit here and do nothing, knowing her has nothing to do with it." She replied. She watched as a slightly surprised look crossed his face, then he nodded his head in agreement.

"Alright, we'll leave soon."

Kagome nodded then stood to retrieve her other weapons. She carried a knife that Dale had given her at all times, but she wanted her gun too. She really needed to go looking for a bow of her own, and maybe a slightly bigger blade. The one she had was a simple pocket knife, it would do the job but she would feel better with something bigger. Carefully avoiding Shane, she slipped into the RV and gathered her stuff. Her knife was clipped to her pocket, and her gun was in the back of her jeans. Even though she knew that they wouldn't find Sophia, she was glad to have something to do. Stepping out of the vehicle again, she scanned the area out of habit. Her eyes landed on the barn sitting a ways away from everyone, and she shuddered. It would be a little while before Glenn would find their secret, and until then she wouldn't draw attention to it. Or at least, she would try not to.

"Ready?" she heard behind her.

"I guess."

**Ok, I'm alive I think. Between a car accident, being sick off and on for two months, and getting my kids adjusted to starting school I just haven't been in a writing mood. But I'm going to try and get this going again, though updates will probably be sporadic and spaced out. Thank you for the support and I hope everyone likes the new chapter. **


	5. Chapter 5

Things were quiet, which neither of them seemed to mind. Daryl walked a couple of feet ahead of her, scanning the ground for any signs of Sophia. He had his crossbow out and ready if they came across anything, while Kagome had her knife in hand. They had been out for at least an hour already, and nothing. Kagome of course didn't expect anything else, though if she remembered correctly they would come across an abandoned house soon. Though, what fascinated her was that she still heard birds, crickets, and the scurry of animals. Even with death everywhere, the woods were the same no matter where she was. A few more minutes and she suddenly realized how different she had become since her time in the past, and she held back the chuckle she felt. When had she become content with silence? She had always been the talkative, bubbly, and admittedly the annoying one of the group in Japan. Now, she was perfectly content with the serenity of the woods.

"Here's something." She heard Daryl say softly. Stepping up to where he was pointing, and saw that there were small foot prints in the dirt. Though she also noticed that they weren't alone, and if she was right who ever had walked through here was being followed by a walker.

"Do you think it's her?" she asked.

"I dunno, but they go this way." He replied. He made to follow the trail, with Kagome following behind him. After a short time, she noticed he kept glancing back at her periodically.

"What's on your mind, you're creeping me out." She said smiling. Of course she was lying, Shane had creeped her out, but Daryl's antics she found cute and amusing.

"Nothin." He answered.

"Lying doesn't become you." She retorted with a small laugh. He turned to look at her again, but this time he fully faced her.

"You don't know nothin about me." he replied.

"True, but I knew someone like you once." with a smirk on her face, and a teasing gleam in her eye she leaned back against a tree. "Been through hell throughout your life, so in order to fend off assholes you've develop the tough guy persona." Kagome watched as he sized her up, even though she was almost a head shorter than him, and then met her eyes again.

"I don't get it…" he trailed off, and when it seemed that he wasn't going to continue she took the bait.

"What?"

"Ya seem comfortable out here, like all the shit that's happened isn't your first rodeo." he replied as he looked behind him when a twig broke. Seeing a squirrel he aimed and fired, pinned the poor rodent to the trunk of the tree it was attempting to climb.

"Oh trust me, dead people walking around and trying to eat me is a first." she said while following him to retrieve his prize.

"But ya should be more freaked out than ya are, like the others are." he pulled the bolt from the bark, then placed his catch in his bag. Facing Kagome again, he pinned her with a look that said more than she wanted to analyze. "You're not afraid, not like them. Why?"

"I am scared." she whispered, having a hard meeting his gaze. She wanted to tell him, tell him that she knew things, and damn why did his eyes have to warm her from the inside. Despite the dirt, and the grime, and the sweat, he was way sexier in person than on her television screen. She was afraid, but not of the walkers, of her emotions. She had fallen for a man that she couldn't have before, and now she knew that this dream or whatever it was would end. And he wouldn't be there when she woke up.

"I don't see it." he answered. Daryl couldn't get over how blue her eyes were, nor could he shake the feeling that she knew him in some way, though he didn't know her. She was strong, and a damn good shot, and he could admit to himself that he found her attractive.

"I can't explain it, and I don't think anyone would believe me. So, it's better if I don't say anything. Trust me." she whispered, then began walking back along the small trail. Thankfully he remained quiet, no more questions, and Kagome took a breath to calm herself. She COULD NOT get attached, or allow anyone to get attached to her. Once again the loneliness washed over her like a tidal wave, and she couldn't help but wonder if she would belong anywhere. It wasn't even certain she belonged in her own world, let alone any other she had been drug into. However, if she had learned anything from her life, it was that she was always sent where she was needed. Though this time was confusing since this was essentially a fictional realm, so her need to be there was elusive to her.

Feeling Daryl tap her on the shoulder, she turned to see him pointing through some trees. Crouching slightly to see what he saw, she saw the abandoned house. She nodded and signaled for him to go first, and she followed him. After a sweep they found the closet that looked like someone had slept in it.

"It's the right size for her." Daryl said, the first words spoken for a while.

"Though it doesn't look like it's been messed with for a while." Kagome replied, and it didn't. Everything was dusty, and smelled horrible. It was unlikely that Sophia had been there, she had been missing for just a few days, and it would take longer than that for the dust to settle so thick.

"Maybe, but it's a possibility." He said, then started going through the cabinets for anything that could be used. Kagome followed suit, but they only found a few cans. Stuffing them in their bags, they made to leave. They had been out for several hours at this point, and both agreed it would be best to head back before it got too much later. So they began the walk back to the farm, once again Kagome following Daryl.

"What did Shane say?" Daryl asked out of the blue. He didn't know why all of a sudden he wanted to know, but something was nagging him. But based on the startled expression on her face, he knew that it wasn't nothing like she had said before.

"Nothing really, just pretty much saying he didn't like me being here." She replied while not looking at him. She didn't want to talk about it, because if she had her way she wouldn't be alone with the ex-deputy again.

"Now lyin' doesn't become you." He replied with a smirk. He knew better, he might not be the smartest of the group but he knew people, knew their behavior. She was hiding a lot of things, and this was one of them.

"I'm not lying, he did say that." She tried to sound offended, but she knew he didn't buy it.

"That's not all he said though, was it?"

"What does it matter?" she asked while not looking at him again. She didn't want him prying, didn't want him to care…but then why was she trembling? Kagome had to pull away, distance herself somehow, but she didn't want to. Her mind was telling her it was the right thing, yet her heart was twisting in despair.

"It matters." He stopped and turned to her again, making her stop right in front of him.

"Why? You've only known me for what, a few days? What does it matter if he threatened me?" she was losing her calm, and she didn't even realize that she'd slipped until she saw his eyes narrow. Then she wanted to slap herself.

"How?"

"Daryl…"

"How did he threaten you?" he pushed. He stepped so close to Kagome she could feel his breath, but she refused to back away. Daryl didn't mean her harm, and she didn't mind his closeness, quite the opposite actually. If this was all she could hope for then she would greedily take it, because who knew if she would ever be able to get any closer. Now if only he wouldn't press her for this, though, it was apparent he wasn't going to let the subject go. Taking a shaky breath, she looked him in the eyes.

"Shane found me by the house…" before she could continue a loud snapping noise was heard behind her. Whirling around she saw three walkers come stumbling out of the bushes, and for the second time wanted to slap herself for not paying attention to their surroundings. Raising her knife she prepared to protect herself, along with Daryl at her side with his bow. The first one lunged at Kagome as the other two converged on her companion, she heard one of the others hit the ground just as she embedded her blade in the skull of her attacker. Yanking it out she turned to see the last one had surprised Daryl, and he was pinned under the weight of the still snapping corpse. Running to him, she used the walker's shoulder to pull it back and into her weapon. Scanning around to make sure there wasn't anymore, she held her hand out to help pull Daryl back to his feet.

"Thanks." He said, breathing a little harsher than before.

"No problem." She breathed. "I didn't even hear them, I think we should talk once we get back." With that she turned to lead the way, not waiting to hear any objection, but again was grateful for his silence. In ways he reminded her of Inuyasha, but so many more he was himself. He knew when to be silent and things go, but he also knew when to push. She wasn't sure if the last part was good yet, but already, against her wishes, she was growing fond of him.

'Will my heart ever learn?' she thought darkly.

**Sorry it's taken so long, too much has been happening lately for me to catch a break. I saw just yesterday I have a story I haven't updated since November :( and it doesn't make me happy. I have such a block on two of my stories and it seems I'm having trouble working on this one too, but here we go. Once again, don't expect an update in a set time. I'll update as soon as I'm able, which hopefully this time won't be so long. Thank you so much for the reviews, I love them and I hope to have more to read after this :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok, I'm so sorry for how long this took. I'm about to start college next week so I cannot promise when the next chapter will be up, but I'll do my best to do it soon. I do not own Inuyasha, the Walking Dead or anything that goes with it. **

On the way back, Daryl had noticed some white flowers blooming along one of the ponds. Kagome watched as he plucked a couple and began to carry them back. She had never seen that particular flower, since it wasn't native to Japan, but she knew that every flower had a significance.

"What does that represent?" she asked. She vaguely remembered the flower in the show, but couldn't quite recall its part in the plot. Though she spoke the first words since they were attacked, Kagome couldn't take the silence anymore. She was determined to stay distanced, and her top priority had to be finding a way back home. Kagome refused to allow her experiences with Inuyasha to be relived, she couldn't take any more rejection.

"It's a Cherokee Rose." He said while glancing down at the white petals. He stopped and turned to her "The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the trail of tears, the mothers were grieving and crying so much from losing the little ones along the way. Exposure, disease, and starvation, a lot of um just disappeared. So, the elders they uh, said a prayer. Asking for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give um hope. The next day this rose, began to grow right where the mothers' tears had fallen."

Kagome had to hold back the tears that wanted to fall, even though she didn't know much about American history, she could feel the sorrow that such a situation would bring. She now knew where it played a part, he was going to give it to Carol. To raise her hope of finding Sophia, and that brought new tears to her eyes, knowing that it was all in vain.

"I just figured, it might help." He finished, then turned to walk toward the camper where he knew Carol was. Kagome was about to walk in a different direction when she saw him stop. "But we ain't done talkin' bout earlier." He said without turning around. Then he was walking again, leaving behind an anxious and nervous miko.

"I had hoped he had forgotten." She mumbled to herself while retreating to the farm. She heard people talking and looked up to see several of the others gathered around a well, curiosity got the best of her and she headed that way. Reaching them she heard them saying stuff about how to get something out of the well, but not what. She stepped up and looked over the lip, and then backed away a little. A huge, bloated, disgusting walker was at the bottom.

"Just shoot it!" she heard someone say.

"No, you'll contaminate the water if it hasn't already."

"Then how do we get it out?"

"We pull it out." Kagome replied. She remembered this, the scene had nauseated her for days. Though, there was nothing else they could do to get rid of the problem.

"Who's gonna crawl down there for that?" T-dog asked. Everyone looked at Glenn, who suddenly looked like he was going to hurl.

"I will, I'm smaller than him and it would be easier to pull me back up." Kagome said. She really didn't want to do this, but it was true that she was less weight. She also had to think of a way to pull it out without it being torn in two, that part she could do without in this scenario.

"You sure?" Maggie asked. She looked uncertain about all of this, but Andrea's expression caught Kagome's attention. That woman apparently hated her, and she didn't even know why. Kagome was just trying to help, so why the hell did she have such a problem?

"Yeah, just don't drop me." Kagome teased, though no one laughed. She sighed as they began to tie a rope around her and between her legs, just like a harness. She grabbed another rope, meant to lasso around the fat corpse, and then stepped up to the lip of the well. In that moment she had déjà vu of another well she used to jump into, and had to quickly squash those images before they distracted her. Now was no time to think on such things, the well of her past no longer worked, and she would never be able to go through it again. This one on the other hand, she really didn't want to jump into with that thing at the bottom. However, you got to do what you got to do.

"Ready?" Dale asked. He was right behind T-dog who was the closest to her. Since he was the strongest he was in charge of making sure she wasn't dropped, and to pull her back up.

"I'd be lying if I said yes." She replied. Then she sat on the edge, and eased over into the well itself. And slowly she felt herself drawing closer to the gurgling hunk of flesh at the bottom. Kagome used her feet to walk down the wall, while she occupied her mind with readying the lasso in her hands. When she felt she was close enough, she shouted up to stop her descent. The thing's fingers were barely touching the bottom of her shoes, and she had to concentrate so she wouldn't gag from the stench. Even if they were successful in getting it out without ripping it apart, she didn't know if the water was safe anyway. She threw the rope over its head, and shook it to lower it into place. Just as she had it where she wanted it, she heard a voice above her.

"What the hell is going on here?" Shane's deep tone startled her and she jumped, it was enough to cause the others to lose their grip a little. Kagome suddenly felt herself drop, and she screamed. Now she was in perfect grabbing range of the walker. She frantically grabbed the well sides, using it as leverage to cease her fall.

"Fuck! Pull me up, now!" She yelled, desperately trying to climb the well wall. But it was too slippery, and she had to keep kicking the walker away before it managed to pull her down. "Pull, for Kami's sake pull!" she yelled and thankfully she felt the rope around her being pulled. As quickly as possible she climbed up the wall with the assistance of the others. She was panting by the time she grabbed Dale's hand, and gratefully fell to the ground.

"Well, what now?" T-Dog asked, assuming she hadn't achieved the goal. Though after a few more pants, Kagome stood and handed him the rope she had managed to hold onto. Instantly he noticed that it was being tugged on, and he had to grab it harder to keep from losing it. With a big breath Kagome turned to walk away, she didn't care anymore if the thing was damaged. From the smell alone she knew the well was contaminated, it didn't matter. Plus, she wanted as far from Shane as possible. He had been eyeing her ever since she had been pulled out, and it was his fault she had jumped causing them to lose their grip on her. He was trouble with a capital T, and she didn't want any part of it.

Later in the day, Kagome over hears that Glenn and Maggie are going into town. She approaches them about her coming along, considering she was in great need of her own things. Maggie quickly agreed to the female company, and soon had a third horse saddled and ready.

"Thank you." Kagome said with a smile, which Maggie returned. Shortly after they were on their way, keeping as quiet as possible so as not to attract any unwanted attention.

"Hey, I'm going over here first. I'll meet up with you two at the pharmacy." Kagome said while guiding her horse to the clothing store across the street.

"Do you need me to come with you?" Maggie asks.

"No, no I can handle myself. You guys stay together, I'll be fine." She reassured them. Stepping down from her mare, she pulled her dagger from her belt and had it ready. Slowly she opened the door to the shop, listening for the signs of a walking corpse as she went. Seeing and hearing nothing, she gently closed the door behind her. Surprisingly, the store looked relatively un-touched. Still keeping her senses open, she made her way around the place. Grabbing jeans, shirts, shorts, and even a couple of extra bras along with socks and underwear. Luckily for her, attached to the shop was a general store. Finding a tooth brush, tooth paste, a hair brush, hair ties, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, and even body wash was a blessing she couldn't even start to be grateful for. She also found a razor with extra heads, as well as some food she could keep hidden for herself. Jerky, canned meat, crackers, peanut butter, and some dry cereal were stuffed into her extra bag. After what couldn't have been 30 minutes, she made her way back to meet up with Glenn and Maggie.

Though, before she even got to the pharmacy door she stopped. Something didn't feel right, so she gently let go of her powers and allowed them wash over everything around her. She sensed her two companions, and she had to fight down a giggle at their current activities. But she couldn't find anything near her, there was a walker in the alley behind the stores, but nothing else. Letting herself relax a little, she redirected herself to grab her horse and wait outside for the blooming lovebirds to finish.

About ten minutes later found them loading their stuff onto the horses, and then heading back to the farm. Glenn had been blushing and grinning the entire time, while Kagome fought not to laugh. Maggie showed no sign that anything had happened, but Kagome could sense her emotions. She was a little disappointed, but not so much so to dissuade her from the boy. All the way back, Glenn had a grin on his face. Shaking her head, Kagome stopped at her little camp area and unloaded her stuff before she put the horse away. Placing the saddle and brittle where it belonged, she returned to put away her things next.

"Everythang go alright?" Daryl's voice made her jump for the second time that day, and she didn't fight the growl. She glared at his figure as it leaned against a tree near her things, then walked by. Sitting down on the ground she pulled her bags to her, and started to rip open the packaging of her hygiene stuff.

"We didn't run into a single walker." She replied while not looking at him. She knew why he was there, and she really didn't want to talk to him at the moment. Though she felt him move to sit near her, and again her heart fluttered. Internally growling at herself, she strengthened her resolve and continued to not look his way.

"Good, now bout this mornin'…" he started, then it sounded like he got nervous. Which is what finally made her look at him, and then she realized how close he really was. There was indeed space between them, but barely a couple of inches. She focused on his eyes, and refused to let his nearness affect her again.

"Why does it matter?" she asked again.

"Cuz he don't need to be doin' that to people." He replied while looking her straight in the eyes, something that should've unnerved her, but it didn't. "What did he say? An tell me everythang." He said, his voice washed over her and she couldn't stop herself.

"He grilled me about where I came from, and when I refused to tell him much of anything he threatened me." Kagome said, never breaking eye contact.

"How did he threaten you?"

"He uh, he said that if I didn't keep my mouth shut about somethings that I might find myself in more trouble than I could handle." She really didn't want to tell him everything. Not about how Shane's nearness had made her skin crawl, or how he had eyed her body had disgusted her.

"Shut about what?" he pushed.

"I kind of said something about him and Lori, even though I don't have proof of anything between them, I saw how he looks at her. He didn't appreciate it." She said.

"Everyone knows about um, except Rick. I figure he's the one Shane don't want knowin'." Daryl said while shaking his head a little. Then he asked "Did he do anythang else?"

"Why are you so interested? It's not a guarantee I'll be around for long, so what does it really matter?" she asked.

"You plannin' on leavin'?"

"I don't know, but nothing is for certain in times like these right?" her voice was lower than before. She had to get home before she changed too much, but damn her heart. Stupid thing just wouldn't listen to her head, and now she found herself pleasantly falling into this man's eyes.

"Guess not, but still. I don't like how he's actin' towards ya. Uncalled for." He stood, then started to walk away, and like before he stopped after a few steps. "I'm headin' out in the mornin' again, you're welcome to come if you like." He said, then he continued on to his camp. Kagome tried to stomp down the feelings inside her, but she was still happy, and glad he wanted her close. Where Inuyasha had retrieved her out of selfishness before, Daryl sought out her company for different reasons. There was nothing he could really get out of her, it was simply two outsiders who liked the other's company, and for that she was thankful.

**Please review, and thank you for the previous reviews :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Kagome was up before the sun, and apparently most everyone else. She saw Dale up on the top of the RV, but no one else was around. With a quiet nod between her and the older man, she slipped into the mobile apartment to use the bathroom. Carol and Andrea were asleep in the back; not surprisingly, Andrea had her hand under the pillow, no doubt on a gun or knife. Shaking her head, Kagome shut the door to the small bathroom. After she felt better, teeth brushed with her new items and all, she headed back outside. Looking around she saw Hershel standing out on the porch, and began to walk towards him.

"Good morning." She said lightly. She didn't want to wake anyone prematurely.

"Morning, I trust you slept well." Hershel replied back politely.

"Yes, thank you." She smiled gently. She liked him, he was a generous man who just wanted to protect his family, and she could respect that.

"You haven't been with them long, have you?" The question caught her off guard. She didn't remember saying anything of the nature, unless one of the others had then it made sense.

"No sir, how did you know?" she asked.

"It's not too hard to tell, but the way the big one acts when you're mentioned says enough." Hershel looked from Kagome to the cluster of tents a distance from the house. Kagome glanced over to see Shane and Rick were up and talking. Kagome instantly narrowed her eyes, 'Shane, I should've known.' she thought.

"Oh yeah?"

"He seems to disapprove of you being a part of their group, and has no qualms stating so." Hershel said as he leaned against the railing and focused back on her face. "I don't want them to stay here, mainly him, but I don't like this many people being around." He said. Kagome knew this was coming, but she hadn't thought he would talk to her about it. She assumed that he would bring it up with Rick, like he had in the show. Apparently, her presence was messing with the order of things.

Sighing, she replied. "I know, and some of them are going to fight and argue to try and stay." She replied. She couldn't say too much, and it was getting harder and harder to keep from impacting her surroundings.

"I am aware, but it's what's best for everyone." He stated.

"I have no argument, this is your home and I completely understand wanting to keep it safe." She smiled and then turned to leave. Then thought of something, something that might soothe things a little later. "Sir…" she started.

"Hershel, I appreciate the respect but I think we're past that these days." He smiled back, he liked Kagome. She was very different than the others and because of that he didn't mind her presence.

"Hershel then. May Daryl and I borrow a couple of horses a little later to search with?" She remembered him having a problem with Daryl not asking in the show, so she might as well take care of that while she was there.

After he thought for a moment, "As long as you don't grab Nellie, the one at the far right. She spooks easy and isn't too used to riders." He motioned with his hands as he talked, and then smiled again. "Thank you for asking, instead of just taking." With that said, he turned and walked back into the house. Smiling, Kagome headed back to her tent to start getting things together.

About an hour later, after the sun was up and everyone was awake, Kagome saw Rick coming towards her. Standing, she waited until he was close.

"Hey, we're lining out sections for people to search. Thought you'd like to join since you're going with Daryl." He nodded to where several of the others were gathering by one of the trucks.

"Ok." She replied as she followed him. Coming up next to Daryl, she made a point not to look at Shane, even though he wasn't shy about staring at her. 'I swear, he keeps it up and I'll…' her thoughts were cut off by Rick talking. She didn't pay much attention to the conversation, and instead allowed her mind to wonder. She contemplated about her situation, for what seemed like the thousandth time. She still had no clue how to get home, she didn't even know if this was a dream, an alternate reality, or what. So, she was stuck. With a man she was quickly getting close to, and another who she wanted to get as far away from as possible, things just weren't going her way. She was contently lost in her thoughts; until she felt an elbow nudge her side, and she lightly glared at the offender.

"You ok?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah fine, umm, Hershel said its ok for you and me to use a couple of horses." She said while shaking off his concern.

"Good, it'll make thangs easier." He nodded his head, then cut his eyes slightly behind her. She didn't have to look to know he was keeping an eye on Shane. Kagome felt her chest swell a little, but quickly squished the feeling and turned to head towards the barn. Her heart was going to get her in trouble again if she didn't watch it.

It didn't take long to saddle the horses, and be on their way into the woods. Kagome tried to let the silence around them not be awkward, and she was sure that Daryl was oblivious to it anyway. Shaking her head, she focused on her surroundings. It was calming, in a way, being in the forest again. Aside from having to keep an ear out for walkers, the natural sounds in the trees was a welcomed thing. Birds chirped, squirrels scurried above them, no doubt keeping a safe distance from Daryl's crossbow. Kagome smirked at her thoughts, and with a deep inhale of the scents around her, smiled again.

"You're doin' it again." Thankfully she didn't jump this time, but she instantly cut her eyes up to her companion.

"Doing what exactly?" she asked. Did he have to watch her so closely?

"Smilin' for no reason."

"But I do have a reason." She replied. "It's quiet, and I hear nature."

"And that's why you're smilin'?" he turned slightly in his saddle to look at her. With a slight nudge, Kagome brought her horse closer to his.

"Yes it is. Haven't the simple things ever made you happy?" she asked as they slowed their pace a little, but still glancing around every now and then.

"Hadn't ever thought bout it I guess." He replied. "Home life wadn't much." He left it at that and rode a little ahead. Kagome easily caught up, but was reluctant to push for more conversation. She knew about his past, but of course, couldn't say anything.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She settled to say, and she meant it. Once again silence encompassed them, this time it was comfortable. Until Kagome's ears picked up a small rattling sound from beneath the horse she was riding.

**Sorry it is short, aaaaand it's a cliff-hanger. But I'm in college now and don't have a whole lot of time to write, though as I have promised I WILL finish my stuff...it just might take a while. Thank you for the reviews, I love reading all of them and knowing that this is going well. Hope to read more, and don't kill me please! lmao**


	8. Chapter 8

Up was down, and down was sideways…at least as far as Kagome knew. It hadn't been a second after she had heard the rattling coming from the leaves, when the world lost all sense of direction. She couldn't recall if the horse had bucked her, if she had fallen off, or for that matter where the horse was now. All she could think was 'So much for not grabbing the bucking horse!' Everything was silent, unless you counted Daryl screaming at her from several hundred feet up. Slowly she opened her eyes, and then had to shut them again as the sun assaulted her vision. She was soaked, her whole body was numb, and her head hurt something awful. When Kagome's vision finally cleared, she saw Daryl slowly making his way down the embankment. Glancing around she saw that she was down in the small valley that they had been passing, and the same one Daryl was supposed to be in according to the show. Leaning her head back with a groan, Kagome couldn't stop herself from chuckling. 'Well, I had intended to keep him from being injured.' she thought.

"You ok?" Daryl yelled.

"Just peachy!" she replied while attempting to roll onto her side. However, a searing pain shot through her hip, up her side and into her head. With another groan, she slumped back onto the ground.

"That didn' sound peachy." Daryl said while he waded through the water towards her. He knelt on his knees next to her, and without a blush lifted her shirt slightly at the hip. Kagome didn't care, she was in too much pain. "Damn!" she heard him breath.

"What?"

"Looks like on the way down ya caught a branch, it's in pretty deep. Ya got a lot of scratches that are bleeding good too."

"Story of my life!" she groaned.

"I gotta lift your shirt a little more to see everything."

"Be my guest, I'm just going to lay here in pain and imagine other things." She mumbled. If she wasn't in so much pain, she might have gotten slightly embarrassed. Might being the key term, considering how many times she had been spied on in the Feudal Era while bathing. Then again, this was Daryl Dixon, and considerably one of the hottest men she had seen.

"It ain't gonna feel too good." He warned, then he moved her top until her whole abdomen was exposed. The cloth slid across several deep wounds, causing Kagome to flinch and bite her inner cheek. She had been in more pain than this, but that had been years ago. 'I've gotten weak!' she thought with a mental cringe.

"We need to get back." Kagome said. She knew if things continued like she recalled, two or three walkers were about to find them, and she frankly didn't feel like dealing with it.

"I'm gonna bind this first." Daryl leaned up a little and ripped his sleeves off, then tied them together tightly. He slung it over his shoulder, and then glanced at her. "Don't scream."

"Huh?" Before she was able to finish, he grabbed the stick in her side and pulled. Kagome almost screamed, despite his warning, but he quickly covered her mouth with his other hand.

"Shhh." He quickly wrapped the strips around her stomach and tied it as tight as he dared. "Sorry." He whispered as he pulled her shirt back down.

"Fine, it's fine, just a little better warning would have been nice!" she chastised with a painful smirk. To which he returned. Glancing up to where they came, he shook his head and then looked around.

"We ain't going back up that way, I can't carry you and I don't think you can climb it."

"I could try!" she replied.

"Naw, we can go around. It'll take longer, but I thank we can do it."

"Yes, Mr. Dixon!" sarcasm dripped from her mouth, and he lightly glared at her. Wrapping his arm around her back, he helped pull her up to her feet.

"Try to walk as best ya can, when ya get tired I'll carry ya."

"I can make it." she mumbled as they began to walk. Before they got too far, Kagome reached down and pulled out her knife. When she got a questioning look from her companion, she sighed. "Just in case."

With a nod, they were back moving again.

OoOoO

It seemed like hours had passed, but it had only been about one. Kagome was finally numb to the pain, but walking was becoming increasingly difficult. She was tired, and her vision was starting to blur. Glancing down she saw that her side was still bleeding, and the makeshift wrap was pure red. Luckily they hadn't run into any walkers, yet. Though she was sure it was only a matter of time, but for now she needed to rest.

"I need to sit for a moment." She said, and with Daryl's help managed to sit on a log.

"We can't stay still long."

"I know, I just needed to clear my head." She replied. Then attempted to stand, he immediately caught her before she stumbled, and Kagome giggled a little. "Sorry." She said.

"Don't be gettin' loopy on me now." He said, but they quickly turned when they heard a branch break. Kagome instantly stopped laughing, and they both froze. At first it was silent, but they soon heard the tell-tale signs of an approaching walker. Daryl leaned Kagome against a tree and pulled his crossbow from his back, quickly notching an arrow. He looked back to see she had her knife ready, he nodded with approval. They didn't have to wait long before four corpses emerged from behind some trees. Once they caught sight of welcomed meat, they picked up their pace a little and came straight at the pair. Daryl took out the first one quickly but had to reload, leaving enough time for the others to advance. Kagome found enough balance to step forward and driver her blade into the head of one, keeping it from reaching Daryl's arm. Another arrow found the third walker, but the fourth and final one was faster than they anticipated. It grabbed onto Daryl and almost pushed him down, but Kagome pulled it back in time. However, it turned on her and succeeded in pulling her to the ground. Daryl was quick and managed to take it out, but at the last second it knocked him off balance.

Things were quiet again, but there was a new tension present. When Daryl was knocked down, he landed right on top of Kagome. Now they were froze again, but staring at each other with only a few inches between them. Both were breathing heavily from the run in with the walking dead, but neither seemed keen to rise again. Finally, Kagome spoke.

"You ok?" she whispered. Daryl felt her breath against his face, and seemed to snap out of his daze.

"Yeah, are you?" he asked.

"Yeah." She replied softly. She didn't know what to do, and he was so close. So close she could feel his chest rising against hers, and that his legs were on both sides of her hips. It was intimate, and not completely unwelcomed. After several more minutes, Daryl began to lean forward slightly. She could feel him, but when it seemed things were about to turn more intimate, another branch broke.

**Short again I know, but I'm in Midterm week so its better than nothing I guess. Hope everyone enjoys, and I hope to read some awesome reviews! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Kagome's eyes cut behind Daryl. The dread she felt that it would be another walker quickly turned to a different kind of dread. Not because her gaze landed on a walker, but because the walker was instead Andrea.

"Andrea!" Kagome said, instantly making her companion move away from her. Kagome's stomach fell, but only for a moment when her brain caught up to her emotions. She had done it again, she had allowed herself to feel something for Daryl.

"Well…I didn't interrupt anything did I?" Andrea sneered. The disgust the woman felt for Kagome was prevalent, saturating the air with it.

"Shut up! She's injured." Daryl replied as he assisted Kagome back to her feet again, gesturing to the blood dripping down the young woman's side. Kagome kept her face neutral, knowing that Andrea was a ticking time bomb and not having any interest to set her off.

"Yeah, I can see that. Giving her first aid were you?" she snipped, then turned and walked away. If she felt Kagome's glare in the back of her head, she didn't show it either way. Daryl noticed though, and nudged Kagome to get her attention.

"Don't listen to her, she's just tryin' to get under yer skin." He said. They were moving slowly, following Andrea since it appeared she knew the way back. Kagome was fast feeling herself blacking out, but was fighting against it. She did not want Daryl to have to carry her back, as much as it sounded romantic in a way, it just wasn't what she needed at the moment.

"I know, I just don't get why she hates me so much!" she said, not even bothering to lower her voice. If Andrea heard her then all the better, the woman had no qualms about letting Kagome know how she felt so the favor would be returned in full.

It didn't take as long to get back as Kagome thought it would, but she was still on the verge of darkness. Thankfully, they had just reached the porch when her legs finally gave out. Just before she allowed herself to lose consciousness, she felt a familiar strong arm go under her knees and lift her up. 'Thank you,' she thought as she fell into sleep.

Daryl quickly carried the unconscious girl into the house, where Hershel was already prepping supplies. He had been alerted about the situation when the pair was in sight, so he was ready. Daryl placed her on the bed gently, and then stepped back so Hershel could work. However, he didn't leave the room. The others had tried to warn him that they were going to half strip her so they could tend to all of her injuries, but he still refused. Instead he simply closed his eyes while she was indecent, but as soon as he was signaled to reopen them he did. The whole two hours that it took for them, he stood over her. Anyone that didn't know him would think he was unaffected based on his blank face, but a closer look would see the worry lines around his eyes, and the small frown that touched his lips.

"Ok, that's all I can do for her." Hershel said as he pulled the blanket up to Kagome's chin. They had stitched her side closed, disinfected all the cuts and gashes, and then wrapped bandages around her whole abdomen. She was pretty bruised up from the fall, and it was possible she had a minor concussion.

"When will she wake up?" Daryl asked.

"I don't know. With her head like it is she shouldn't have been allowed to fall asleep, but there's nothing I can do about that now. We'll keep a close eye on her, and pray for the best."

Daryl nodded his head, letting them know he heard them. Then he pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat down. Shortly after the others started to slip in to check on Kagome, except Andrea. Carol sat on the side of the bed and grasped the girl's hand that was closest to her, then softly stroked Kagome's hair.

"It was a good thing you were there." Carol said without looking up. Daryl knew she was talking to him, and glanced at her quickly, then back to Kagome.

"I shoulda heard the damn snake." He grumbled. He blamed himself, even though in reality he knew there wasn't much he could've done. It still bugged him that she got hurt, he wasn't quite sure why either. He also didn't know why he had felt compelled to get closer to her before Andrea found them, or at least he didn't want to admit it. She had smelled good, despite being covered in mud and who knew what else. She was smart, sarcastic, and irritating as hell. So why did he feel the urge to stay close to her?

"Maybe, but then again it would've been worse if you hadn't been there."

"If I hadn't been there she might not have gone, since she followed me." He replied.

"Maybe, but you both are good people. You don't know what it means to me that you're trying so hard to find Sophia." Carol looked up at Daryl then with a smile. She looked him over and saw how filthy he was, he was covered head to toe in mud and smelled horrible. "Why don't you go clean up? I'll stay with her."

"Its fine." He grumbled. In truth, he wanted a shower. He normally didn't mind being dirty, but with Kagome's blood stained all the way down his side he minded greatly.

"Go, she'll be fine." Carol pushed. She knew the look on his face, and she also knew that he was worried about the girl. Even though she hadn't been there but a couple of days at best, Carol already felt connected to Kagome. She was a sweet girl, strong and determined. It also felt like Kagome knew them, in some ways better than they did. Carol didn't know quite yet if that was a good thing. However, the young girl was helping them when she didn't have to. That said something in and of itself about her character, so for now, Carol would help her.

"You sure?" Daryl asked, breaking Carol out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, go, you smell terrible." She said with another smile. Earning herself a glare from the man, but he stood to leave anyway. He knew that Kagome would be ok with Carol there, it was Andrea or Shane he didn't want anywhere near her. They both had shown hostility towards her, for what reason he didn't know but he didn't like it.

It didn't take long for him to gather some, somewhat, clean clothes and lock himself into the bathroom upstairs. He hadn't had a shower since they had been at the CDC, which he couldn't remember how long that had been. Days or weeks, it was all blurring together anymore to him. He didn't mind that, he was used to not having a schedule or anything of the sort, but that was when he was alone mostly. Now, he was with a group that seemed to depend on him more and more. Rick was a good leader from what he could tell, other than him leaving Merle on the roof. Deep down Daryl knew that Merle had brought that on himself, he could and was such an asshole after all. Carol was nice, and starting to open up since her husband had been killed, which was a good thing. He looked up into the mirror, he concluded that indeed he needed a shower. He quickly stripped his clothes, turned on the water as hot as he could stand it, and stepped into the welcomed heat. Water hit his back, and dripped down to his legs. No longer clear but brown with all the dirt caked to his suntanned skin. He stood there for a few minutes, letting the warmth seep into his firm body and loosen his tight muscles. Slowly he turned and allowed the water to drench his hair and face, running down his chest and arms and down the drain. He reached for the men's wash that was on a shelf, and lathered a good amount in his hands. He started with his hair, scrubbing until he didn't feel the grease any longer. Then he began to clean his chest, something he had noticed was firming up since his diet was limited and all the exercise. His arms had always been built, but he'd never given much thought to the rest of him. His abs were also more defined, something he noticed while he bathed. He cleaned every inch of his body, and instantly felt much better.

It took him only ten minutes to wash up, which was longer than he wanted to be away. He just couldn't help it, he rarely took the time to enjoy a shower even when one was available. Once he was done, dried off, and clothed, he went straight back to Kagome's side. Carol hadn't moved, and raised a brow when he walked in.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh nothing…it's just, you look different clean, and it didn't take you long to come back." She said. Her voice struck him, like she was teasing him. He stopped and turned to her, narrowing his eyes when he saw a mischievous smirk on the older woman's face.

"I take quick sho'ers." He replied as he sat back in the chair. He glanced at Kagome's slightly wrinkled forehead, and noticed that she looked more flushed than he remembered. "She's runnin' a fever."

"I already told Hershel, he's soaking some towels so we can cool her off. Now stop avoiding."

"I ain't avoidin' nothin'." He said.

"Oh yes, yes you are. You care for her." Carol said confidently. "And it scares you."

"You ain't got a clue what yur talkin' bout." He grumbled and then decided to ignore her. Just then Hershel and Beth came back in with two slightly dripping towels, Carol took one and Beth kept the other. They alternated laying the cloth on Kagome's forehead and behind her neck, it a while but they were able to cool her down enough that it was no longer a concern. Before they knew it, it was dark outside and everyone was winding down for bed. Carol made to leave, but stopped in the doorway and looked back at Daryl.

"I do know what I'm talking about, you'll see." With that, she left.

Daryl stayed in the chair, mulling her words over in his head while listening to Kagome's steady breathing. He knew she was right, he did care…a lot. He'd never cared about anyone other than himself really, even when he slept around he didn't care about any of them. Why her? He asked himself, of all the women he could care for what made her so special? No matter how long he thought about it, he couldn't answer any of the questions in his head. She was different, that he knew, but that alone shouldn't be enough. Plenty of people were different, and none of them had caught his attention. A soft moan caught his attention, he expected to see her awake, but she still slept peacefully. Well, as peacefully as she could. Some hair had fallen onto her face, black tendrils against her pale skin. He cut his eyes over to her sleeping form, and silently within his own mind, he admitted she was beautiful.

**Thank you again for the great reviews, I know the cliffy from the last chapter didn't make a lot of you happy. ;) Never fear my readers, there will be some Kagome/Daryl fluffy to come. Though it might be a few chapters from now. I'm only a few weeks away from finals time, so there will not be another chapter at least until the middle of December. Thank you to everyone for being patient with me, and I hope you enjoyed the update.**


	10. Chapter 10

'God damn it, my head hurts!' Kagome thought, and then that alone sent a jolt through her temples. Moaning from the pain, she attempted to roll over but the movement sent a severe rush of pain through her whole body.

"Fuck!" she moaned into the pillow. Instantly she felt hands on her shoulders and head as they guided her back into her original position.

"Don't move too much, you've got a concussion." Hershel's voice echoed in her ears, and in an attempt to keep her head from exploding she didn't say anything. Instead she allowed him to maneuver her into a semi-reclined spot against the headboard.

"What all hurts?" He asked.

"Everything, how long have I been out?"

"Couple of days or so. The big fella stayed here until this morning, but he said he'd be back."

"Big fella?" she asked confused. 'Better not have been Shane!' she thought to herself. While Hershel was removing old bandages and accessing the wounds, Kagome saw Carol rush into the room.

"You're awake! Thank God, Daryl and I were starting to worry." Carol said as she sat on the opposite side of the bed than Hershel, she didn't want to get in his way. Kagome looked ok, in pain obviously, but she was awake and alert.

"That's the fella I was referring to." Hershel stated as he decided to leave the minor cuts uncovered, but went ahead and re-bandaged her head.

"Daryl stayed?" she was thoroughly confused. Maybe that was the concussion, but Daryl staying with her didn't make any sense. 'Why would he do that?' she asked herself. Once Hershel was done, he handed her a couple of pills saying they would help with the pain and she gladly took them. Anything to make the throbbing of her head and body quit was appreciated. It wasn't a few minutes later that Rick, Lori, Carl, Glenn, T-Dog, and Dale walked into the room.

"You still kickin'?" T-Dog asked with a smile. Kagome lightly glared at him but smiled back.

"Yeah I guess." She replied.

"Good, we were worried aboutcha for a while there." Dale said.

"Do you need anything?" Lori inquired.

"A bath and semi-clean clothes." Kagome said with a smirk, earning a round of chuckles from everyone.

"Give that medicine a few minutes to kick in, then someone can help you up to the bathroom." Their host advised as he walked out of the room. Hershel did like that girl, far more than most of her group, and he hoped she made a full recovery.

"Roger that." Kagome said as she closed her eyes for a moment.

Carol volunteered to help her, since she was still wobbly on her feet. Like Hershel said, the meds helped with easing the pain of her movements. So with Carol guiding her, they made it upstairs without a problem. Once Carol made sure that Kagome didn't mind help with undressing, they stripped her old clothing off and got her sitting in a tub of steaming hot water. Immediately Kagome moaned in pleasure, the heat seeping into her muscles and she almost wanted to go back to sleep. But she knew better, with a concussion that would not be a wise decision.

"Thank you." She said to Carol, who had chosen to sit on the toilet to make sure the young girl remained safe.

"Not a problem, I can imagine you needed this." She said with a smile.

"You have no idea!" Kagome said with a big smile. Carol giggled. It was silent for a few minutes, then Kagome looked over. "Did Daryl really stay with me that long?"

"Yep, he slept in the chair that's in there. Then he decided this morning he needed to go hunt for a bit, he'll probably be back soon."

"Why would he do that? He doesn't seem like the type to sit by someone he barely knows." Kagome thought out loud. It just didn't make any sense to her, at all.

"He's not, but apparently he thinks enough of you to care." Carol said, successfully hiding the knowing smirk since Kagome wasn't looking at her. "By the way, thank you for trying so hard to find Sophia. It means a lot considering you've never met her."

"Like I told Daryl, knowing her doesn't matter, I can't just sit around and do nothing."

"Either way, thank you."

Kagome began to soap herself up, then washed her hair with Carol's help to make sure her wounds didn't get too wet. Overall, she felt much better being clean and smelling fresh. The warmth had also helped her pain, and she could somewhat walk a little better now. She redressed in some of the clothes she had gotten from town, and then brushed out her long hair. Kagome chose to leave it down to dry, then she was finally ready to go back to bed. All the movement had exhausted her, and she needed to eat then rest. Carol and her had just reached the bottom of the stairs when Daryl came walking through the door. When he saw her he stopped, and looked her up and down.

"Doesn't she clean up nice?" Carol said smiling. Her voice seemed to snap him out of his daze, and he nodded his head a little.

"You ok?" he asked as he followed them into the bedroom so Kagome could lie back down. Once Carol had her situated comfortably in the bed, Kagome smiled.

"Yeah, other than a headache and my hip, I'm good." She replied. Shortly after that Beth walked in with a plate of some food. "Thank you Beth." Kagome said.

"You're welcome." The teen said, then she walked out of the room. Kagome slowly ate, since it had been days since she had last eaten. Her stomach wasn't sure whether to accept the sustenance or not, but it felt good to eat.

"Did you catch anything?" Kagome asked Daryl. He had sat back down in the chair, and just stared at her. Like he wasn't sure if she was ok or not.

"Few squirrels, a rabbit, and doe."

"Nice, that'll help." She said while taking a bite of a bread role. Carol had excused herself and went outside. So it was just Kagome and Daryl in the room.

"You sure you're ok?" Daryl asked again. He was worried, it had taken longer than he thought necessary for her to wake up.

"I'll be fine, I've been through worse." She smiled at his concern, but this was nothing like have the jewel ripped from her side. She'd recover in no time now that she was awake, she just had to have a little more energy to be able to heal herself the rest of the way.

"You had us worried."

"Us?" she cocked a brow at him with a sarcastic smirk. She loved teasing him, he made it fun.

"Yeah." Was all he said but he caught her smirk, he wasn't ready to say anything about his feelings yet. If ever, but he had to agree with Carol, she did look pretty good clean and with her hair down. The last time he had seen her with it down was when he first saw her, though then he didn't pay too much attention.

"Hmm, ok." Kagome nodded then went back to eating. "What all have I missed?" she inquired.

"Nothin' much, we haven't found Sophia yet." He leaned back while crossing his arms over his chest. Kagome noticed that he wasn't wearing any sleeves, and damn his arms looked good. Shaking her head slightly, she looked him in the eyes.

"Do you think we'll actually find her?"

"Don't know, but I'm still lookin'."

Kagome nods her head, of course it will be in vain, but that was her burden to know. It was only a matter of time until it all hit the fan, and she didn't know what she should do about it. So much was being changed already, and Kagome didn't know if it was good or bad. Either way, she was going to be stuck watching it all unfold. Helpless, and unable to do much to stop the pain it would bring to so many people.

"What's wrong?" Daryl leaned forward in his chair.

"I just feel helpless." Was all she said, then she took the last bite of her food before attempting to stand.

"Where do ya think your goin'?"

"I'm taking this plate to the kitchen, I need to move around." She replied as she stood on semi-wobbly legs, but managed to maintain her balance.

"You're gonna fall on your face!" he complained as he stood to catch her.

"I am not!" she argued. A few steps later had her grabbing the doorframe to keep from falling, but she caught herself and continued. Daryl let her, he didn't attempt to force her to stop, but he stayed close to make sure she didn't hurt herself any further.

"You sure are a stubborn woman!" he grumbled.

"And don't you forget it either!" she snipped back. After placing the plate in the sink, she turned to head outside. Even though she was tired, she was done with lying in bed. There was plenty to do, and she was sick of feeling useless.

"Now where are ya goin'?"

"Outside."

"Why?"

"Because I need some fresh air!" she countered while pushing the screen door open and walking into the warm sun. It felt great on her skin, and she closed her eyes while leaning against the porch railing. Kagome knew she was being stubborn, but she had a feeling he would only be happy if she stayed in bed. Which was something she didn't want to do, she was stronger than that. Besides all she needed was the privacy and time to heal herself and she'd be as good as new. Looking around she saw that no one was in sight, it was unusual. "Where is everyone?"

"Their off doin' some shootin' practice." Daryl answered.

"Oh, ok." She said as she sat down in one of the rocking chairs. They were quiet, and not uncomfortably. Daryl sat on the porch with his back against the railing, while Kagome rocked lightly in the chair. There was a light breeze that caressed their faces, and Kagome closer her eyes again with contentment. She was still in a little pain, but nothing she couldn't handle. It just felt good to be up and moving. She didn't know how much time had passed, but at some point she heard the others coming back. When she opened her eyes, Shane and Andrea were getting in one of the cars and leaving. Glenn and Maggie were heading to where the horses were, and from the look on Glenn's face Kagome figured he now knew about the walkers in the large barn. Kagome quickly reassessed the timeline of when she was hurt, to now, and figured that things were going according to the show like it should. The two lovebirds were heading into town to get Lori's stuff, since she now knew she was pregnant. Then that meant that the other two were going to search the housing development for Sophia, then Kagome shuddered when she thought about what they would do on the way back. 'Disgusting, those two were made for each other.' She thought.

All those things she wasn't going to intervene in at all, none of it mattered to her really. Though, it wasn't going to be too much longer before shit really hit the fan. Kagome just hoped that she was able to heal herself before then, because she was going to need her strength to help keep people safe.

**Ok, you guys get a chapter early. I'm ahead on my school work so I had some time to write. I'm probably going to start on the next chapter but I'm not sure if I'll get it posted today or not. Thank you for all the great reviews! They make me happy, and give me motivation to write. I hope to read more. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

It happened faster than she thought it would, she had just completely healed the day before, thankfully. Now she and Daryl were running from their camps toward the barn, because Shane was screaming. Rick was following Hershel with a couple of walkers held a decent distance away with poles, but Shane was going ten kinds of bat-shit crazy. Kagome made it in front of Shane first, and attempted to block his path to the barn. If she could stop some of the drama, she would do her best.

"Whatchyou wanna talk about Rick, these things ain't sick! They're not people! They can't feel, because all they do is kill! These things right here, these are the things that killed Amy! They killed Otis, and they'd kill all of us if we do nothin'!" Shane screamed while circling Rick with the walkers.

"Shut up!" Rick yelled, trying to get him to calm down and listen. But even Kagome knew that wasn't going to work, Shane was riled and going insane. He wasn't going to be stopped with logic, or words period. She backed up to where she was fully between him and the barn doors, things were about to get ugly.

"Hey Hershel, let me ask you something, would a living, breathing person walk away from this?" Shane sneered as he shot the female walker Hershel was holding onto in the abdomen multiple times. The thing just kept trying to get loose, and Kagome could see the fear and realization in Hershel's eyes. This was not the way to get through to the man, but it was too late now.

"Shane enough!" Rick pleaded.

"Yeah you're right man that is enough!" Shane stepped forward and put one last bullet through the walker's head, ending its moaning and gurgling.

"It's enough, risking our lives for a little girl who's gone!" Shane yelled in Carol's direction, causing the woman to flinch and shake. Kagome tensed her body, because she knew what was about to come. "Enough, living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us! Enough! Rick it ain't like it was before! Now if ya'll wanna live, if you wanna survive, you gotta fight for it, I'm talking about fight right here and right now!" He turned to run to the barn, but Kagome was expecting it and used the large garden pick to trip him up. He was nowhere near as strong as Sesshoumaru, and even though she hadn't fought anyone in years she was still strong enough to hold the man down. As soon as he hit the ground she dropped her knee into the back of his head, and the pick to the back of his neck.

"That's enough Shane! You're scaring people." She growled at him. She twisted his arms behind his back so he couldn't over power her, and then looked back to check on the others. Everyone was in shock, not only from Shane's behavior, but also how Kagome had taken him down. Kagome felt him struggling under her, but she was positioned just right to where she used his body against him. He wasn't going anywhere until she wanted him to, 'Thank you Lord Sesshoumaru!' she praised in her mind.

"You bitch! Get the hell off of me!" Shane screamed, all to fall on deaf ears. Kagome glanced back to see Hershel finally standing from the ground, and Rick had passed the pole he was holding to Jimmy. Rick and Daryl came up behind her, assessing the situation.

"Good move!" Rick said shocked. He had never seen a girl Kagome's size bring down a man Shane's size before. He was impressed.

"Yeah, quick thinking." Daryl nodded.

"Thanks." She replied breathily.

"Get her the hell off of me! I'm going to kick her ass, I'm trying to save you people!" Shane was ranting and raving under Kagome, fighting as much as he could but never gaining ground.

"Shut the fuck up!" Kagome said while pressing the pick into the back of his neck until he started coughing. "Well Rick, your call." She said. Rick came closer than kneeled down to look at Shane.

"If you can calm down and agree to talk, then you can get up." Rick told Shane. Shane growled, but then stopped fighting.

"Fine, just get the bitch off me!" he said. Kagome looked to Rick, and when he nodded she quickly let him go and backed away. She knew he wouldn't forget this, and he would be out for her blood for what she had done. Thankfully, Daryl stepped in front of her just as Shane spun towards her. Daryl caught his fist that would've been aimed at Kagome's head, and used it to push him away.

"Alright, alright, Shane that's enough. You need to calm down!" Rick tried to grab Shane's arm, but the other man pulled back away from him.

"Ya'll don't get it! None of you do!" he screamed while glancing around to everyone, then his gaze landed on Kagome. "And you! You think you can take me? We'll see about that!" then he spun on his heel and stomped away while cussing and throwing things. Everyone watched him leave, and only when he was out of sight did Kagome let out the breath she had been holding. Then she turned and walked over to Hershel who stood staring at the corpse that he had originally been holding.

"Hershel? Are you ok?" she asked softly. When his eyes rose to meet hers, he shook his head. "I'm so sorry about what just happened." She said.

"He was right though!" Kagome cut her eyes to Andrea, and glared at her.

"You're just as crazy as him if you think that; what he just did was impulsive and dangerous! This is not our home, that's not our barn, and we have no right to impose ourselves just because we think we know better!" Kagome emphasized.

"You know nothing! You come into this group out of nowhere and think you know everything, you have no idea, just like he said!" Andrea screamed, tears pouring down her face.

"I know more than you think." Kagome replied solemnly. Suddenly a loud crash was heard behind her, and Kagome swung around to see that all the noise had roused the walkers in the barn. The door was pulsing under the weight of so many bodies, the only thing keeping it from breaking was the thick chain and padlock.

"Kagome, they're right. I was wrong." Hershel whispered into her ear, and she turned her face to look at him.

"Not completely. You were holding hope of things getting better, I just wish it was that simple." She replied with a frown. "What do you want us to do?" she asked. She watched as he looked to the barn, then to the body in the dirt, and back to the barn.

"You do what you think is best." Hershel met her eyes with sad determination.

"Are you sure, because that means opening those doors." Kagome clarified. Shane's method was wrong, but what he was going to do was the only way to take care of the problem.

"I realize that I was naïve, and those things are not what I thought. So, yes I understand what you have to do." Kagome nodded her head at his statement. She pulled her gun from her jeans, looked to the others and saw that they mimicked her. T-Dog, Dale, Rick, Andrea, Carl, Glenn, Daryl and Lori stood in a line facing the barn.

"Your family doesn't need to see this." Kagome advised. However, Hershel shook his head.

"No, they do." Kagome didn't agree, but there was nothing she could do about it. So she slowly walked to the barn doors, with a final glance at the line of people ready to face the walkers, broke the chain. She quickly ran back in line with everyone and took aim. Walkers poured out of the barn, and before they could go far a bullet sped through their heads. Like a firing squad, the group took out each walker that stepped out into the sunlight. Carol stood behind the group with Hershel, Beth, Maggie, Jimmy, and Pattie. After it seemed that all the walkers were down, things were silent. Kagome waited though, waiting until the one that hadn't come to emerge. The only one that no one else but her was expecting, and within seconds, the last one emerged. She felt the shock, the sadness, and then Carol's wail of sorrow was heard. Daryl managed to catch her before she threw herself into danger, because Sophia had appeared out of the barn. Dried blood caked to her neck, where a large bite mark could be seen. The poor girl had been there the whole time, and Kagome had known. Her heart clenched, and she was about to step forward to take care of the girl, but Rick beat her to it. One last resounding shot was heard, then only Carol's cries were left.

Kagome put her gun away while walking to where Daryl held Carol. She knelt down and embraced the broken woman, whispering how sorry she was for Carol's loss and how she wished she could've done more. Carol grasped onto her tightly, with Daryl's help they walked her back to the RV where she could mourn away from the carnage. It took some time, but Carol ended up crying herself to sleep. Kagome pulled a blanket over her, then left to see what everyone was doing. She glanced around to make sure Shane or Andrea wasn't near, she didn't feel safe where those two were concerned. Hershel and his family had returned to the house, also mourning their losses, while some of the others were starting to load the bodies into the back of a truck. They would bury those most important to them, and then burn the rest.

Once again, Kagome felt the weight of so many lives on her shoulders. Even though this time there was no shikon jewel, no Naraku, and nothing about this situation was her fault, she still felt the stress of those still alive. The loss, the fear, the unknown, and the desire for it all to end hung in the air like smog. Choking out the clean free air, and putting a dark shadow over the group. It was only a matter of time before Shane tried something again, and Andrea was siding with him which made them both unreasonable. Kagome let out a loud sigh, and started to walk towards her little camp area. She needed to be alone, she needed to think and to meditate. If she had to stand against Shane again, she needed to stay alert and keep her strength. Because she knew all too well what people on the brink of insanity were capable of, and she found the bullseye of his rage heavy on her back.

She had just passed the tree line between the house and her tent, when a deep voice made her jump.

"How did you manage to do it?"

"Holy fuck shit!" she yelled as she jumped, then turned to glare at Daryl. He just raised a brow at her language, while leaning against a tree close to her little area.

"You gotta mouth on ya." He said while smirking that devilish smirk that turned her knees to jello. However, this time she didn't give in and narrowed her glare.

"So I've been told! Now what the hell are you doing scaring me like that?" she asked while continuing to her tent. She didn't bother checking to see if he was following, she heard his footsteps.

"Didn't mean to, not my fault you're so jumpy." He replied. He loved riling her, it was fascinating to him that someone so small could turn so red in anger. It was hot, if he was honest with himself.

"Yeah, yeah, you didn't have to hide behind that tree either." She retorted.

"I wasn't hidin', you just weren't payin' attention." His smirk never left, if anything he was enjoying himself.

"Whatever, what the fuck do you want?" she growled, Kagome was not in the mood for this. Even though it was Daryl, she was tired, fed-up, and ready to either punch Shane to death or go home. Preferably both, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

"Shane's a big guy, how the hell did you take him down like that?" he asked as he sat on a rock next to her. He had been impressed by her show of strength, it was something he hadn't expected out of her.

"He's not as strong as he looks, and how is simple…I was taught how to fight people bigger than me." She said with a shrug of her shoulders, she pulled out a blanket and placed it in front of the fire pit. Even if he chose to stay, she was still going to meditate. It would probably be easier to do it with Daryl near, that way she didn't have to worry about Shane sneaking up on her.

"Why?"

"It was necessary at the time, and it's proven most useful in certain situations." She replied. Kagome knew he was prying, and as much as she would've loved to tell him everything that wouldn't be a good idea. She sat down cross-legged, and closed her eyes. Daryl must have realized what she was planning to do, because he stayed quiet. While she was oblivious to his gaze, he took in her every detail. He had done so while she was unconscious, but he couldn't help doing it again. She was beautiful, strong, smart, and wise, but also sarcastic, a smart-ass, and sometimes impulsive. He felt drawn to her, and he didn't mind being around her all the time. There had never been anyone that he liked being around, not even Merle. With her though, it was completely different. Time passed while he just took in her features, and she was still. Then opened her eyes and looked to him, their gaze met and Daryl felt his chest grow heavy. Her eyes were mesmerizing, and he enjoyed looking into them.

"Thank you." Kagome said.

"For what?"

"For staying, for saving me out there, and for stopping Shane's hand." She replied with a smile. "You didn't have to do any of it."

"Yeah I did."

"No, you didn't. You could've left me, or let things happen, you don't know me Daryl. I'm just a girl that you and Rick happen to find in the woods by accident."

"It ain't that simple." He replied.

"Isn't it?" Kagome inquired while looking away.

"No, it ain't. I haven't asked questions cuz you don't seem open to talkin' bout yourself." He scooted closer to her, it was starting to get dark and he needed to see her face. Kagome leaned back to grab her lighter and some pieces of wood, within minutes she had a small fire burning. The warmth seemed into her toes as she thought over his comment, and she was conflicted about telling him. She wanted to, God she wanted to. Was it wise? Would it hurt the timeline? Would he believe her? So many questions plagued her mind, and she didn't know what to do. Her mind jumped to attention when she felt his hand on her chin, turning her face to look at him. He was gorgeous in the fire light, so rugged and strong.

"What do you want to know?" She found herself asking. There was no going back, with him so close and looking at her like that she couldn't deny him. He was about to ask her a question, when a menacing chuckle drifted to her ears from the trees.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

**Don't kill me for the cliffhanger, but I think everyone knows who it is. Thank you and I hope ya'll enjoy the bonus chapter. ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

"A couple of love-birds maybe?" the deep mocking voice told Kagome exactly who and where he was. He was standing just outside of the fire's range, so all she could make out was his menacing silhouette against the after-dusk horizon.

"You're not wanted here Shane, go crawl under a rock!" Kagome replied while making sure her weapons were within reach. She cut her gaze over to Daryl and saw his back go rigid, and it saddened her that every time they seemed to get closer someone always interrupted.

"Oh I know I'm not wanted, but that ain't the point."

"Then what the fuck do ya want?" Daryl spoke up. He stood so he was on a similar level of ground with Shane; he just hoped the man would leave.

"This don't include you Dixon, take a hike!" Shane finally came into view, but something didn't feel right to Kagome. He wasn't walking right, and his speech sounded slurred the closer he got. He had been drinking, 'where the hell did he get the booze?' she thought with narrowed eyes.

"He stays, but you are leaving right now." Kagome said while she stood.

"What you gonna do little girl? Ain't nothin' you can do to me!" Shane stumbled as he tried to be intimidating, but he ended up just making Daryl snicker at him. "Whatchu laughin' at?" the ex-deputy slurred in anger.

"You dumbshit, she already took ya down once today." Daryl replied shaking his head.

"Lucky shot! Bet she can't do it again!" Kagome had had enough, so she stepped around the campfire and walked right up to Shane where he swayed.

"Get…out…of my camp or I'm going straight to Rick about you and Lori." She said calmly, she wanted him gone…right then. He reeked of alcohol, and with the way he was acting he was unpredictable.

"You shut your mouth!" he growled while trying to swing at her, which she easily avoided and used his momentum to send him toppling to the ground without even touching him. Kagome turned to watch him attempt to stand again, and fail miserably.

"Seriously, you're a mess and you're not going to be getting the better of anyone like this. Go away!" Kagome shook her head and walked away from him, but she didn't anticipate him grabbing her ankle. He violently yanked her to the ground, dragging her back to him.

"I ain't huh?" he slurred as she tried to kick him. Kagome had dreadfully underestimated his strength while drunk, he was clumsier than usual but he was a lot stronger than usual too. She kicked her legs to try and get him to let go, but he had an iron grip on her ankle. Somehow he managed to grab her other leg and she couldn't get loose. Luckily, Daryl was already behind Shane and with a quick yank he had Shane off of Kagome and pinned to the ground.

"No, you ain't." Daryl spat as he threw the other man away. By that time, the others had heard what was happening and arrived. Rick looked between Daryl and Shane, then to Kagome who was brushing herself off and breathing a little heavy.

"What happened?" he asked.

"He's drunk, stumbled into my camp and tried to attack me." Kagome replied as she finished beating the dirt off her pants, then straightened to stand next to Daryl. They looked at each other, then back to Shane. He just didn't know when to quit, and she was about ready to take some of her frustration out on him properly.

"What's happenin' now?" Hershel's voice broke through then. He looked tired and defeated, and Kagome could understand exactly how that felt.

"Oh now you're here huh?" Shane mumbled. He attempted to stand, but fell back on his ass. Kagome shook her head, she honestly couldn't wait until she didn't have to deal with him anymore.

"I heard the noise, but I also wanted to tell ya to leave."

"Ya know, I was thinkin'…I bet you knew she was there all along!" Shane's voice was starting to raise, getting louder. "I bet, you knew Sophia was in that barn this whole time!" he accused while pointing a finger at Hershel and his family.

"Shane that's enough!"

"Naw Rick it ain't, she was there this whole time! And you had us out there lookin' for nothin'!" he was yelling again by this point. Again Kagome felt a headache coming on, but she squared her shoulders and prepared for the yelling match.

"We didn't know, as far as I knew only my family and neighbors were in there." Hershel said quietly, he felt guilty about the little girl. He really did, but that didn't excuse the idiot sitting on the ground from what he had done.

"Bullshit! You had to have known, and what da hell were you doin' keepin' them things in there in the first place?" Shane tried to stand again, and somewhat managed though he tilted to one side a lot.

"Otis would put them in there, maybe he found her and put her in there before he was killed. I don't know."

"You expect me to believe that, do I look like an idiot to you?"

"Yes, actually you do!" Kagome spoke up. She couldn't pass up the chance to get a dig in on the drunk bastard, he made it too easy.

"I ain't talkin' to you! You ain't apart of this group!" Shane yelled.

"It doesn't matter, I want ya'll off my land." Hershel said, and took a step back when Shane attempted to walk closer to him, but Maggie stepped in-between them and slapped Shane.

"Don't you touch him!" she screamed. "Haven't you done enough?" she asked, then turned to walk away.

"Your family is dead! And you, Rick, you're just as delusional as him!" Shane said, acting like he didn't just get hit, and was pointing between Rick and Hershel.

"Enough! I want ya'll gone, I mean it!" Hershel yelled, then he too turned to walk away. Leaving Rick to handle Shane in his drunken stupor. No one said anything else, they all understood why they were being told to leave. Shane had sealed that for them.

"You are an idiot." Glenn muttered. Slowly they all turned to leave, deciding to deal with everything the next day. Rick grabbed Shane by the arm and forcefully led him away. Leaving Daryl and Kagome alone again.

"You ok?" Daryl asked when everyone was gone again. They both walked back to the fire and sat back where they had been before.

"Yeah." She replied softly. She wasn't, she was tired of everything.

"You're lyin'."

She didn't respond, she still didn't know how he knew when she lied but instead she just stared into the fire silently. Truthfully she ached, her fall from Shane grabbing her had jarred her body and head. Even though she had healed herself, her hip still throbbed sometimes and she was still getting small headaches. Kagome was glad that Daryl had been with her, she didn't know what would've happened if she had failed to fight Shane off. She didn't want to think about it, her hero had stepped in again, and she was ok. At least until the dumbass tried again, and she was sure the next time he would be sober.

"I'm going to bed." She whispered as she kicked dirt onto the fire to put it out. Daryl didn't say anything, just watched her while she crawled into her tent and then her sleeping bag. Kagome was about to doze off when she felt someone lean slightly against the wall of her tent. She dragged her heavy lids open and looked to the opening, to see Daryl propping himself up near her feet. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Ya really think he ain't gonna come back?"

"I doubt he will tonight." She mumbled, her eyes starting to drift shut again from exhaustion.

"Still, ya need sleep."

"You do too." She didn't know if he could make out what she was saying, since she was more asleep than awake at this point.

"Just go to sleep." He said, that was the last thing Kagome remembered hearing, before she let darkness claim her.

oOoOo

It was loud again, and this time she really didn't want to get up and see what was going on. Kagome pulled the pillow over her head and tried to go back to sleep, but the noise wasn't muffled enough. So with a huff, she pulled on her shoes that she didn't remember taking off and left her tent. Already knowing who was making the ruckus, she walked past Rick and Shane yelling at each other, and straight up to the house. She wanted to talk to Hershel, she knew that he wanted them gone, but she also knew that their business with the farm wasn't done yet. Hershel probably was going to leave for town anytime, if he hadn't already. Kagome hoped she could do something to keep some of the things from happening, but in a way she doubted she could. She politely knocked on the door, but then suddenly heard a loud crash of glass and porcelain. Without hesitation she pulled the door open and rushed through the house, in the kitchen she found Maggie kneeling over Beth who had collapsed.

"Move, let me look at her." Kagome said while she assessed the girl. "Where's Hershel?"

"Can't find him." Glenn said while shoving his hands in his pockets and pacing. 'Great!' Kagome thought, she had been too late to keep Hershel from running into town.

"Help me carry her." Kagome said to no one in particular, but both of them helped get Beth into the bedroom and laid down. After they got her situated, Kagome checked her vitals. She was burning up, but her pulse and blood pressure were fine. She was in shock, and from the fever she was starting to get sick. All of it was easy for Kagome to heal, but she couldn't do that with people watching.

"Is she ok?" Maggie asked, tears running down her face.

"Yeah, she just needs to rest." Rick and Lori walked in then, having heard what happened. Kagome stayed next to Beth while the conversation played out as it had in the show, with Rick going after Hershel. Lori was begging him to stay for Carl, but even she couldn't deny needing Hershel to deliver the baby when it was time. Glenn voted to go with Rick, and Kagome just closed her eyes with a sigh. Shit was about to royally hit the fan in the next couple of days, and she was too late to lessen the impact. Right then though, she needed them out so she could at least heal Beth. Next would be to make sure Andrea didn't come near her, Kagome really didn't want to deal with Beth's suicide attempt because of that bitch.

"Is she a'right?" a deep voice brought Kagome out of her head and back to the present. Looking back she saw that Daryl was leaning against the door frame, and with a smile Kagome nodded.

"She will be."

"Good." He said, looking like he wasn't going to move away from the door anytime soon. Kagome just smiled again, and looked back to Beth. The poor girl just wasn't built to go through what she had, but sadly she would have to get stronger if she wanted to live. Kagome knew what Beth was capable of, but she was still stuck knowing the future alone. A heavy burden to carry, 'You'd think I'd be used to it by now' she thought.

oOoOo

Night had fallen, and no one was back. Shane had already left to go after Lori, who of course would come back a little worse for wear. Everyone was panicking, except Kagome. She considered faking it, but then decided she didn't care and simply leaned back against the wall in Beth's room. The girl hadn't stirred, but that wasn't surprising. Kagome had healed her sickness, which turned out to be a simple cold, and now it was a matter of time before her mind allowed her to take control again. Maggie was constantly in and out of the room, checking on her sister and insisting that Kagome didn't have to stay in there. Of course Kagome insisted back that she was fine and that Maggie had plenty to worry about without the worry of her sister. Maggie was justified in her worry, but Kagome also knew that there were other things that needed her attention too.

"Why are you so nice?" Maggie's question caught the older woman off guard.

"What do you mean?" Kagome was confused, the only person that had ever asked her that was Inuyasha. He had been suspicious of her from the beginning, until he had been around her long enough to know that was just how she was.

"No one, even before this whole mess, has ever helped so much without expectin' somethin' in return." She explained.

"It's just who I am I guess." Kagome replied with a shrug of her shoulders. Just then Lori came barreling into the house, yelling at Shane. Kagome couldn't resist rolling her eyes, while Maggie went to see what was happening. The woman was pissed because Shane lied to her, and the others weren't back yet. If only they knew what Kagome knew, that the guys wouldn't be back until the morning and with a wounded 'friend' in tow. Shaking her head, Kagome stood and walked over to make sure Beth was secure in her bed, then she closed the door to head outside. All the noise was irritating her, and until Beth woke up the next day she wouldn't be bothered by Andrea. For the moment, she could escape the chaos and be by herself. She stopped once she cleared the porch and looked up. Since there wasn't much light coming from the house, and electricity was out everywhere else, there was nothing hiding the stars from view. They were clear, bright, and just as calming as they had been in the feudal era. Kagome had missed it, but this wasn't how she had hoped to see them again. Instead she had hoped for years that the well would allow her passage again, until it became clear that it would never happen again. Her time was done, and she had moved on with her life as best as she could.

'Until I stupidly wished myself into a zombie apocalypse.' She thought sarcastically, and like everything else she would push through. At least that was the plan until she figured out how to get back home, if she could.

**Whoot! Finals are over, I haven't seen my grades yet but I'm sure I did well. As promised here is a new, and slightly longer than usual, chapter for you guys. Hope everyone like it! If I don't update before Christmas, then Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone and be safe if you're traveling. I hope to update at least once more before then, but things always seem to have a way to spoil my plans. )**


	13. Chapter 13

**This chapter is much shorter than usual, and I have a reason for that. I plan to make the next chapter extra long, so this seemed like a good stopping point in order for me to do that. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a safe one! Enjoy and please leave me a review stating your ideas, thoughts, maybe some requests for things you might want to see injected into the plot, anything is welcomed. Thank you guys!**

Despite knowing what the morning would bring, Kagome hadn't slept at all. After star gazing for a while she had decided to stay inside this time. Mainly to be there if Beth woke up, wishful thinking she knew, and also to keep an eye on the situation. Since Shane had opened his mouth about Lori's pregnancy Lori had had to sit with Carl and have a talk, and that had taken a while. She hadn't seen Daryl a lot, but Kagome assumed that he was out in his camp. She kind of missed his presence, but there was no way she was going to seek him out. As much as she would love to, it wasn't smart.

Now, it had to be around eight in the morning and the guys hadn't returned yet. Kagome was helping Maggie and Patricia set up an IV for Beth since she was dehydrated, but Kagome opted to stay in the room when Andrea walked in.

"How's she doing?" Andrea asked. It didn't look like she was up to anything yet, so Kagome would play nice…for now.

"She's dehydrated so Patricia and I are going to start an IV. Otherwise she's seems ok." Kagome replied.

"That's good I guess." Andrea said then started to shift her weight from one foot to the other. A sure sign that she was uncomfortable about something.

"Is something wrong Andrea?" Kagome tried to sound nonchalant, but she was very suspicious of the blonde. Andrea had hated her since they had brought her back to the group, and it didn't make sense that that would stop now.

"No, why?"

"You seem nervous." Kagome didn't break eye contact even though Andrea twitched. "If you have something to say to me then do it, I know you don't like me." She watched Andrea shift her weight again, but then the tension came back full force quicker than Kagome anticipated.

"What's going on between you and Shane?" The accusation was strong in her words, against her attempts to put on a decent face Andrea failed. Malice dripped from her mouth and jealousy oozed from her eyes. It didn't take much to see that she was just as lost in the head as Shane was, 'perfect match.' Kagome thought.

"If you are referring to our adamant hatred for each other than I think it's pretty clear."

"Don't be a smartass, you've had your eyes on him ever sense you got here!" Andrea sneered.

"Because he creeps me the fuck out and I can't stand him!" Kagome crossed her arms over her chest.

"Liar!" Just as Andrea was about to lunge at her, Daryl came up and grabbed her arm. Instantly making her realize what she was about to do, and she hastily jerked her arm away and stormed out of the house.

"Well that escalated quickly." Kagome said softly while turning to continue prepping Beth. Since she hadn't slept all night, she was exhausted and didn't feel like conversing much after dealing with Andrea. However, it seemed that Daryl didn't notice that part.

"You a'right?" Daryl's voice washed over her, soothing her frayed nerves somehow. She didn't delve into why that was, she didn't have the energy to fight with herself either.

"I'm fine, thank you again."

"What did she want?"

"Apparently she thinks there's something between me and Shane." Kagome stood, looking over at the handsome man in the room and smiled.

"Uhn, she's crazier than I thought." He shook his head and sat in the chair beside the bed. The same one, he recalled, that he slept in when Kagome was unconscious.

"You're telling me." Just then Kagome heard wheels on gravel, walking to the window she saw that Rick and the others had finally returned. "They're back." She said then looked over to Daryl.

"Bout damn time!" he said, then they both went outside. Instantly Kagome saw the extra person in the backseat, and she didn't repress the sigh that escaped her lungs. Randall was going to be capital T.R.O.U.B.L.E, especially when Shane inevitably goes off the deep end. Kagome stayed on the porch overseeing everything, Hershel rushed past everyone and into the house to check on his daughter. Too bad he was about to waste time and energy on a kid that Shane would kill in a few days anyway.

'I hate knowing these things.' Kagome thought as she went to help carry the poor guy to the shack. She could easily heal him, but at this point it would screw with the timeline too much. She couldn't risk it, as much as she wished she could.

oOoOo

After the meeting with everyone to discuss what to do with Randall once he was back on his feet, Kagome had separated herself to be able to take a bath. Hershel had come back in and was with Beth, Rick and Lori were to themselves, and no doubt Shane and Andrea were conspiring. The steam from the water was heaven to her throbbing head, and once she was submerged her muscles praised her name in relief. It also gave her time to think, reassess the timeline and prepare for what was coming next. Shane was spiraling out of control, Andrea was right behind him, and then there was the whole Daryl thing. It had dawned on her that his appearances near her were not in line with the show, he should've been in other places doing other things when he was with her. At the moment it didn't seem like it was making too big of a difference, yet. She just hoped that it continued that way, there was no telling what the outcome could be otherwise. Leaning her head back against the rim of the tub, she attempted to relax and just be. It felt so good, now if only she was in her own tub, in her own apartment, in her own reality. That would be great!

Instead, she heard voices downstairs and it brought back to mind that she needed to hurry. Hershel had asked if she would help him in caring for Randall so Patricia wouldn't have to go near him. He knew Kagome could handle herself in a tough situation, and he wanted to keep his family safe. Kagome respected that, and didn't mind being a bodyguard for the kid while he was there. She stood to drain the water, then toweled off in order to get dressed. She cherished the baths while she could, because it wouldn't be too much longer until the farm would no longer be home.


	14. Chapter 14

Another damn headache, Kagome was going to have to ask Hershel to check her head again with as many headaches as she was getting. Then again the screaming wasn't helping either, but there was nothing she could do about that. Maggie was attempting to talk sense into Beth, Rick and Shane had taken Randall to dump, and Kagome knew they would be back worse for wear with the kid in tow. Right now she had gotten wrangled into helping Lori in the kitchen with Andrea, and Kagome could feel the tension growing between them as she dried dishes.

"Where's Hershel?" Andrea asked and all Kagome thought was 'Here we go with the bitch fight.'

"Maggie don't want him to know yet." Lori replied then hopped down off the sink where she had been sitting. "It's a family affair, let Maggie work it out."

"That's working it out?"

"When Beth stops fightin' then it's time to worry." Lori said.

"This coulda been handled better."

"How so?"

"You shouldn't have taken the knife away." Andrea said, looking at Lori like she was the problem. Thankfully Kagome was facing away from them, because she couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. Andrea was an idiot, granted Lori wasn't much better but at least Lori was attempting to right her actions. The blonde on the other hand, just loved to help stir the shit pot.

"Scuse me?" Lori asked shocked.

"You were wrong, like Dale taking my gun that wasn't your decision. She has to choose to live on her own, she has to find her own reasons." Lori leaned against the counter with a disbelieving look on her face.

"You want me to tie a noose for her?"

"If she's serious she'll figure out a way." Andrea said like it was obvious, like Lori should already understand the situation. However, Lori wasn't seeing it that way and was getting irritated.

"That doesn't mean I can't stop her, or let her know that I care." Lori shook her head.

"That has nothing to do with it Lori, she only has so many choices in front of her and she believes the best one is suicide." Kagome moved to the other side of the kitchen to put away a few glasses, and sadly that attracted Andrea's attention but Lori spoke first.

"That's not an option."

"Of course it is, she doesn't need to be yelled at or treated like a child."

"She needs a loaded gun, right? You understand why I don't send you in there." Lori replied somewhat sarcastically.

"I came through it!" Andrea defended herself, or tried. Involuntarily Kagome snorted, the same reaction she had had when she first watched this scene in the show. Thankfully it was playing out exactly like the show, up until now that is. Her misstep had caught the attention of both women, and she could feel the fight redirect to include her. "What are you snorting at?"

"I'm sorry, I was trying to hold in a sneeze." Kagome lied to try and back away, but it didn't look like it was going to work.

"Bullshit, you don't know me or what I've been through!"

"Calm down Andrea, she said sorry and that it wasn't what you think." Lori tried to defuse the situation but Andrea completely ignored her.

"You don't know what any of us have been through!" Kagome was reaching her limit, she knew everything and yet she couldn't say anything. Then she thought about it, and decided to fight back a little.

"I know you try your hardest to appear productive, important, when in all actuality you don't want to do the house work. Dishes, laundry, cleaning, cooking, all of it you do everything you can to slip away from helping." Kagome was intentionally trying to redirect the conversation back to the show, but in a way she was also telling Andrea that she was naive and ignorant. Kagome knew Andrea, her motives and her past.

"I contribute to keep this place safe!" Andrea was losing her temper.

"The men can handle it, they don't need your help." Lori interjected. It had been bothering her how Andrea insisted being a part of that side of things, instead of helping her, Carol, and Patricia.

"What would you have me do?" She directed it at both women, because she was feeling ganged up on suddenly.

"Oh, there's plenty of work to go around."

"Are you serious? Everything falls apart and you're on my ass about skipping laundry!"

"It puts a burden on the rest of us." Lori replied with a nod.

"You're so self-centered! The way you take it all for granted!" Andrea sneered. "And you acting like you know everything and everyone!" she directed at Kagome.

"My husband is out there for the hundredth time, my son was shot, don't you dare tell me that I take this for granted!" Lori got up in Andrea's face on that one. She was pissed, and Kagome couldn't blame her for that, but then again Andrea was about to show how much of a bitch she was.

"You don't get it do you? Your husband came back from the dead, your son too, and now you got a baby on the way. The rest of us have piled up our losses, me, Carol, Beth but you just keep on keeping on. Playing house, acting like the queen bee, and laying down rules for everyone but yourself! You know what, go ahead, go in there and tell that little girl that everything is going to be ok just like it is for you! She'll get a husband, a son, a baby…a boyfriend. She just has to look on the bright side." She sneered with a death glare at Lori, then to Kagome. "You just stay away from me, and Shane!" then she left the room. It was silent for a few moments, then Lori asked what Kagome knew was coming.

"What did she mean about you and Shane?"

"She thinks I'm out for him, and she's delusional." Kagome said then she too walked out. She needed to make sure Andrea didn't get to Beth, which was drama that didn't need to happen. Thankfully she made it to Maggie before Andrea did. She knocked on the door, since it was closed and waited. Maggie opened it a few seconds later.

"Hey, you need to eat." Kagome said.

"I can't leave her." Maggie shook her head.

"I'll sit with her, you need to keep up your strength." It took a little time for Maggie to agree, but she did. Kagome walked in, closed both doors, and locked them.

"What are ya doin'?" Beth asked.

"I have a bad feeling that Andrea isn't in her right mind at the moment, and you don't need her in here right now." Kagome replied once the locks were in place. She sat in the chair and looked to the young girl. Tear streaks lined her face, and she still looked exhausted. The poor girl didn't see a reason to live anymore, and Kagome could understand that. Unlike Andrea though, Kagome knew that suicide was not the answer nor was it a logical option. It was a state of despair, a desperation to make it all end. To find an escape from the pain of reality, but it never fixed anything. It would just cause more pain, more grief, and leave your family with a never-ending sense of failure.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Beth's voice made Kagome smile. The girl didn't want to die, she just didn't want to deal with everything anymore.

"Not really, unless you want to talk?" Kagome smiled gently, Beth reminded her a little of Shippo. Young, facing great pain, and yet still innocent and slightly naïve.

"They don't think I should do it."

"What makes you think you should?" Kagome inquired, she hoped that by making Beth really think about what she was doing she'd realize that it wouldn't fix anything.

"What's the point? What are we waiting for?" Beth looked down, more tears running down her face.

"The point is to cherish what we still have, and there's really nothing we're waiting for, except to hope that the world will eventually be ok again. But that is never a guarantee, and it wasn't before this either." Kagome said softly. "You know, I was in your shoes at one point in my life."

"You were?" Kagome nodded, she remembered her mental state when she first got back home after Naraku was killed. She had been devastated, even with the opportunity to say goodbye it still had torn her apart.

"Yeah, it wasn't easy. I just wanted to curl into a ball and never see the light of day again."

"What did you do?" Beth looked at her with such desperation it broke Kagome's heart.

"I lived." Kagome said. "As much as I thought that things would be better without me, or that I didn't have a purpose, I was wrong. My mother, brother, my grandfather, all of them needed me. They needed me alive, because they loved me more than I loved myself. My presence was important to them, even when I laid in bed and refused to do anything. Eventually, I realized that I didn't really want to die. I didn't want to feel the pain, the fear, disappointment, or make the effort to get up every day. But for them, I pushed through."

"Was it worth it?" Kagome smiled softly again, it had taken a while to finally realize that it had been.

"Absolutely. You see, if I had killed myself like I thought I wanted to then I would have missed my brother growing up. I would have missed him getting a job, starting college, my mother finally remarrying, or being here with you." Kagome stood and walked over to the bed, and sat next to the girl. "I would have put my family through so much agony and grief if I had taken the easy, selfish, and useless way out. I'm not saying you're being those things either, but I was."

"Does it ever get easier?" Beth asked while accepting the shoulder to lean on. She really liked Kagome, she wasn't like the others. She was kind, gentle yet strong when she needed to be, but she was real and genuine.

"Oh man, I wish I could say yes, but it's been years since I was in that state and no it does not. Every day is a fight to remember why I get out of bed, to remember that it is worth it, or that I might be needed. Pain is a part of life Beth, you'll never escape it but you can cope with it. You need your family for that, they will help you if you'll let them. I will too, if you want me to." Silence overtook them for a while, until a knock on the door got their attention. Kagome smiled at Beth again, then stood to open the door. Maggie was back, so Kagome just reminded Beth to remember what she had said and then closed the door behind her.

Just as she turned to walk down the hallway she came face to chest with Daryl, and the sudden appearance made her jump.

"God damn it Daryl! Stop doing that!" she cursed because her heart nearly did a bungie jump up and out of her throat. Her hand flew to her chest and she had to calm her breathing.

"Sorry." He said with a smirk. He loved seeing her riled, even if it meant that he had just scared the shit out of her. He was twisted like that.

"No you're not, or else you wouldn't be smiling like that. Jackass!" Kagome said then walked past him heading outside.

"Is what you told her true?" she stopped just at the door, then turned slowly around.

"You were eavesdropping?"

"I was comin' to check on ya'll, couldn't help but hear." he was suddenly nervous, like a kid that got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It was cute, admittedly Kagome found him adorable in that moment and she couldn't help but forgive him.

"Yeah, I don't lie unless I have to." She replied then backed out the door backwards. Only turning when she needed to walk down the stairs, and she didn't have to turn to hear his boots following her.

"I wadn't accusin' ya of lyin', I was just curious."

"I know, and it's ok." Kagome said while they walked out to the group's camp. Kagome wanted to check on Lori, offer her help if she needed it. She considered offering to help with the baby, and she was leaning toward it still. However, before they could reach their destination Kagome heard her name being called. She whipped around to see Maggie running after her, and her heart dropped. She ran back to meet the woman, dreading to hear if Beth had attempted killing herself anyway.

"Is everything ok?" Kagome asked worried.

"What did you say to her?"

"Did she hurt herself?" Kagome was growing sick to her stomach, 'God what have I done?' she thought.

"What did you say to her Kagome?" Maggie demanded.

"I uh…I just told her I had been there, and that it wasn't going to answer her problems, that she needs you. Is she ok?" She could feel her lungs in her throat, and she was getting tired of her organs trying to take the elevator out of her body.

"She's fine, she broke down crying in my lap and apologized for her behavior. She said she won't try anything, and that it was because of you." Then out of nowhere Maggie wrapped her arms around Kagome and hugged her tight, leaving Kagome stunned. Beth was fine, and because of what she had said the girl had come around. Kagome let out a huge breath, then hugged Maggie back. "Thank you!" Maggie cried into Kagome's hair.

"It's ok, she's going to need you for a while yet." Kagome smiled at her, then watched her head back to the house. She couldn't believe it, she had successfully diverted Beth's suicide attempt.

"You're somethin' else girl." Kagome didn't look to Daryl this time, she just smiled.

"The name's Kagome, or Kags, whichever you prefer." Then she went to talk to Lori like she had set out to do in the first place.

oOoOo

It had been a day or two, and Kagome realized she was starting to lose track of the time. Either way, she found herself leaning against the wall to the shack Randall was tied up in. Daryl was inside, 'Having a talk' as he would say. The grunts of Randall and the sound of flesh splitting from punches was loud in her ears, but it didn't faze her. She'd heard and seen worse, she just wanted to be near when Daryl was done. There had been some questions that had bothered her in the show, and she intended to find answers once the poor kid had been worked over. They had been at it for almost half an hour, it shouldn't be too much longer. Right on cue, the door swung open and Daryl walked out, wiping blood off his hands as he went. Kagome then felt a little satisfaction when he turned and slightly jumped at seeing her there, and it was her turn to smirk.

"Sorry." She said, just as he had the last few times he had startled her. Although, he wasn't amused.

"What're ya doin' here?" he demanded as he closed and locked the door. He did not like the idea of her hearing what he had done to the kid, even though she didn't look effected at all. On the contrary, she looked bored or uninterested in his actions…strange woman. He expected her to be mortified of his actions or scared of him and what he could do, instead she looked accustomed to it, if not somewhat impressed.

"Nothing really, just waiting for you to be done so I can ask him some of my own questions." Her words seemed to make him pause, then narrow his eyes at her.

"You ain't goin' in there"

"And why not?" she asked, she wasn't angry with him because she knew this disagreement was coming.

"He's dangerous!" Daryl stepped closer to her, hoping to slightly intimidate her into listening to him. Of course he didn't know who he was messing with, because Kagome was as scared of him as she would be of a chipmunk.

"I know that, and I can handle it." She replied while moving to side step him. He didn't let her get far, he blocked her with his body and shook his head.

"You ain't goin' in there, Kags." Kagome resisted the smile that wanted to spread, she loved that he chose to call her by her nickname. It sounded illegally erotic when he said it, and every time it sent a warmth through her that made her thankful he didn't have demon sense…especially smell. She remembered a time when Sesshoumaru had walked up on her during a vivid daydream, at the time she thought she would die of embarrassment. A man she saw as a friend and brother should not have smelled her arousal like that, or ever for that matter.

"Daryl I'm a grown woman who is capable of various martial arts; I'm going in there and I will be fine!" she said while patting him on the arm, and quickly walking around him. If she didn't know any better, she could've sworn she heard him growl in irritation. However, he did reach out and grab her arm to get her attention.

"I'm waitin' out here for ya, if I hear anythang I'm comin' in." This time Kagome did smile, and she nodded her head in understanding. Then he let her go so she could unlock and reopen the door, then she closed it. Looking to the heap of flesh in the corner, she saw firsthand how Daryl's 'talk' had gone. Randall was a mess, an eye was partially swollen shut, his nose was a bloody mess, and it looked like he might be missing some teeth or at least parts of his teeth.

"Now what?" she heard the kid mumble through his pain. She grabbed the stool in a different corner, and set it just out of reach of the chain's length. It was then that he finally opened his eyes to see who had come in, he had been thinking it was the redneck again, but he was pleasantly surprised. "Whoa, I didn't know they had hot chicks here." Kagome just cocked a brow at him.

"This 'hot chick' as you say will kick your ass all over again if you don't behave yourself, are we clear? I have some questions of my own, and I don't really want to have to beat them out of you like the last guy did." She told him matter-of-factly. It didn't appear that he believed her, but then again he wasn't in much condition to pick a fight right then.

"I told that dickhead everything!" he defended himself, though a little more cockier than he was with Daryl she noticed.

"Did you?" she asked. Kagome put her elbow on her leg while cupping her face with her hand. "Now there's no need to lie to me, I can tell if you do. Did you tell him everything?" She saw the hesitation on his face, and knew instantly that no he had not. "Well?" she pressed.

"I, umm, I…yeah I told him everything." He insisted, even though he was stuttering.

"Strike one Randall, wanna try again?"

"What are ya going to do if I don't?"

"Nothing, just let you enjoy what little time you have left. They're planning to kill you, you know that right?"

"Why, I haven't done nothin!" he whined. Kagome almost felt bad for him, almost.

"The story you told Daryl, the one with the two young girls, what part did you play in that?" Kagome pressed on, not answering his question. He was going to die, whether it was tonight or later when Shane got ahold of him didn't matter to her really.

"I told him…"

"I know what you told him." She cut him off. "I want to know the truth, because something tells me you didn't just stand to the side and watch silently. You're too boisterous and immature for that." He got really quiet, and his eyes were darting everywhere but towards her. Until he suddenly locked gazes with her, and his fidgeting stopped. His whole demeanor changed, and if she wasn't in this world Kagome would've assumed he was a demon disguised as a man from the look in his eyes now. He had a truly dangerous side, something completely different than the stupid kid persona he put on all the time. Her instincts had been correct again, he was not what he seemed.

"You think you got me figured out huh, well, what if I did do something to those girls?" he sneered. "There ain't nothing you can do about it, and as for your group…they're destroying themselves. It won't take much to finish the job."

"Oh really, you and what army?" she asked unaffected by his bravado. She could see how serious he was, and that he knew he was right…partially.

"They think thirty guys are a problem, heh, they have no idea!" he snickered like he had just told the best joke, only Kagome wasn't laughing. Thankfully she had gotten the answer she wanted, and she stood to put the stool back and then leave. Just before she reached the door, a sudden rattling of chains caught her attention. Just as she turned Randall was in her face, his arms were pulled taught behind him by the chains, but he had managed to close the distance in no time. Kagome didn't step back, didn't react at all, she just stared back into his eyes. "If I get out of here, and I have half a chance, I'm coming for you." He breathed into her face. Kagome knew what he meant, but before she could strike him Daryl was in front of her without her hearing him open the door.

"You ain't gonna go anywhere, let alone touch her." He shoved the boy roughly back against the other wall, then followed Kagome out of the shack. Once the door was locked and secured, Daryl advanced on Kagome quicker than ever. "What the hell were you thinkin'?" he demanded and once again was in her face. After having the other guy in her face, she did step back slightly this time. She needed some space.

"I'm fine, and he couldn't do anything to me in there. At least now we know who we're really dealing with!" she retorted. Kagome knew he was upset, but did he really have to act like that? She walked past him to go talk to Rick, he needed to know about this. The anger and irritation was practically rolling off of Daryl in waves, but he stayed quiet for now. Even then she knew that he would want to talk to her again, she didn't know if she was happy or nervous about that. Until then, Daryl walked ahead of her to the others.

"Boy there's gotta a gang, thirty men at least, heavy artillery and they ain't lookin' to make friends. If they roll through here our men are dead, and our women…they're gonna wish they were."

"What did you do?" Carol asked when she saw his hand, the knuckles were split open and bleeding.

"Had a little chat." He said then walked away, leaving Kagome standing there.

"He's right, but don't think that Randall is an innocent bystander. He admitted to participating in everything the gang does, including torturing women. He's more dangerous than we originally thought, and I think he shouldn't be allowed out of there for any reason." Kagome emphasized the last part, looking directly at Shane intentionally. The idea of using Randall should already be in his head at this point, and she had every intention to let him know she knew. It wasn't the wisest thing to do, she knew that, but it was the only way she could live with herself at this point.

"Wait, wait, you can't be serious? That kid?" Dale asked in disbelief.

"I talked to him myself, and if he gets loose he will have no problem hurting any of us." She told Dale. "I don't condone killing people either, but this guy isn't safe to let go. Neither for us or him." She looked at Rick then, trying to convey how serious she was. It seemed that he got the point, and nodded his head.

"Then we take care of the threat, tonight." Rick said. The group nodded together, all but Dale. Kagome could tell that he wasn't convinced this was the best option still, and she stayed put to talk to him.

"Is this really the best idea?" he asked when everyone was gone.

"No, but considering the circumstances it's the only one there is." She answered. "He threatened me, and he was serious."

"How?" his eyes scanned her, making sure she was ok.

"Let's just say that if he does get free, the top of his target list is me." She glanced to the shack, where Shane was pacing. "Quite frankly he's not the one I'm really worried about." Dale followed her gaze and then nodded.

"I noticed some tension there."

"You have no idea. But for now, I know you don't agree with killing that kid and I wish there was another way. It might be best for him too if Rick takes him out." She mumbled the last part but Dale heard her. He didn't completely understand what she meant, but by the way she was watching Shane with apprehension he could figure it out.

"I'm still gonna try and think of a way." Dale said.

"Good luck with that, truly." She smiled at him then headed to her tent. She was tired, and it was her turn on night watch that night so she wanted to get a little rest first. She was fine going without sleep, but this time she wanted to be aware. As long as Shane and Randall were near, she needed to stay alert.

oOoOo

Surprisingly, Kagome had managed a half-way decent nap. Now it was night, and she was stationed up on the RV, with a bow and arrows along with her handgun at the ready. Her knife was still strapped to her hip, and she had found another one that she hid in her boot. She felt sufficiently armed, now it was just a waiting game. She had watched Rick, Daryl and Shane lead Randall to the barn. On passing Randall had winked at her, even attempted to blow her a kiss before Daryl hit him in the back of the head. But it didn't take long before Daryl came back out pushing Randall back to the shack, Shane was stomping away, and Rick had Carl in hand.

'Well, looks like he lives for another night.' Kagome thought with a sigh. Other than the far off sound of chatter, it was a quiet night. It was getting colder, but so far it wasn't unbearable. She had on a light jacket and she was comfortable. If only they could spend the winter at the farm, but it wasn't going to happen. Kagome closed her eyes for a moment and rolled her neck, then opened them again.

Suddenly she caught movement out of the corner of her eye, cutting her gaze to see what it was Kagome saw Dale walking into a field. 'Where's he going?' she thought. She watched his form for a moment, then it hit her. Her eyes bugged out, and she gasped. She had forgotten about Dale's fate, and that it was the same night that Randall was spared. Instantly she jumped up from her seat and climbed down off the RV.

"Rick! Daryl!" she screamed while starting towards Dale. She doubted they would make it in time, but she had to try. "Dale's in trouble!" she yelled then took off toward the man in question. Kagome didn't wait to see if they were following, she was running as fast as her feet would take her. She could barely see him in the dark, and like she feared…the walker was on him before she could reach him. She heard his screams, and pushed her body faster hoping to get there before the creature tore him open. She was almost there, just a few more seconds and she'd be there. It wasn't enough. Just as she was about to tackle the thing off of Dale, she heard the blood curdling scream of pain.

"Noooo!" she yelled as she finally tackled and sunk her blade into its head. Whirling around, she was too late. Dale's insides were on the outside, and there was no healing him. "I'm so sorry Dale, I could've stopped this, you didn't have to die!" she cried. "I'm so sorry!"

Daryl reached her first, then Rick and the others. They all began to cry, the damage obvious and everyone knew that there was nothing anyone could do. Carl looked from Dale to the walker, and then sunk into a crying fit in his mother's lap. Knowing he had freed the thing and because of him, Dale was dying. Rick tried to get Hershel to do something, but Hershel knew there was nothing that could be done. Andrea was wailing, shedding tears for the man that had looked at her like a daughter. A man she had dismissed and mistreated so many times, purely out of selfishness and spite. When Rick hesitated to pull the trigger and end Dale's pain, Daryl stepped forward and took the gun. Kagome watched him through tears, knowing what he was going to do.

"Sorry brother." Daryl said. Then Kagome closed her eyes as he pulled the trigger. The sound echoed off the trees, deafening Kagome for a moment. Only when she felt hands on her shoulders, did she finally open her eyes. Daryl helped her up, and after Rick told Shane and T-Dog to dig a grave she was escorted back to her tent.

"I need to be on watch still." She said, it was more of a whisper but she hoped that he heard her. She didn't trust her voice to try and repeat it.

"The other's got it, you look like you're gonna pass out." He said. All the way to her tent he kept his hands on her shoulders. Like he was anchoring her to the ground, did she appear that bad?

"I'm fine, it's just…I could've stopped it."

"No one saw it comin'" he said, then made her sit on a log beside the fire pit. It didn't take him long to start a small fire, and truthfully it felt good to her cold limbs.

"I know, but I feel like I could've done something, anything, paid better attention." Then she thought to herself, 'Remembered the show better!' Kagome couldn't believe that she didn't remember that, of all the people she had been pissed about losing in the show at this point it had been Dale. Now that she could have saved him she failed, like an old person she had forgotten a key point.

"Stop blamin' yourself!"

"I can't!" she yelled back. She didn't see him come closer until her face was in his hands, and his face was a centimeter it seemed from hers. He was close, the last time she remembered him being this close was when Andrea had found them in the woods a couple of weeks back.

"Why? Why can't ya?" he asked her.

"It's complicated." She whispered. She didn't expect his closeness, and even though she admittedly missed it, now wasn't the time. Dale was dead, and it was her fault.

"No it ain't, you didn't have anythang to do with what happened." He didn't let her go, instead he kept his hold on her face. Never breaking eye contact, or backing away. She didn't know what to say, she couldn't tell him what she knew, he'd think she was crazy. His breath on her face was also very distracting, as was his piercing eyes boring into hers.

"Maybe, but I still feel horrible." She whispered. Kagome feared that if she was too loud that it would break the moment, she was enjoying him so close.

"Ya tried, it's more than what any a them woulda done." Daryl replied softly. "You're a good person."

Kagome started to bite her lip, she didn't know what to say again so she opted to stay silent. His grip loosened a little, and he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. A gesture that always got to her, it was sweet and somewhat romantic. Despite what had just happened, she didn't want this to end. It had been a while since they had been alone, and normally somebody interrupted their time together. "You think so?" she asked. Anything to ease her nervousness, but it didn't help.

"Hn." He nodded. He believed it, he knew it to be true. He didn't know her all that well, but what he did know was enough. She was a kind person, but also held wisdom of the world and what needed to be done. She gave so much of herself, too much at times and he liked that about her. No one had ever been that giving, at least not that he had seen which wasn't much to go on. She had her faults, as did everyone, but hers were usually from being too kind. He knew she tried to keep her distance, desperately sometimes. He was the same in that he didn't like people too close, but with her he was drawn in. He wanted to be close to her, and he didn't see a reason not to be.

Her skin was soft in his hands, even with the cold air and lack of skin care items. Kagome was antsy he could tell, probably from his proximity. From what he knew, she hadn't been close to a male in some time, if ever. Though with her looks he doubted the latter, she was attractive in her own right. His thumb caressed her cheek slowly, while he lost himself in her eyes of blue and green. Daryl couldn't tell if it was intentional or just instinct, but he leaned closer to her and she didn't stop him. Their foreheads touched first, and Kagome's breath quickened slightly. She didn't look away, and neither did he. They had come close to this a couple of times, always stopped prematurely. 'Not this time.' He thought. A small flex of his lower jaw, and his lips met hers. Her eyes fluttered shut instantly while her mind registered how warm he was. Electricity shot through her lips, down her body and took her breath away. His hand that had been caressing her cheek moved to tangle in her hair and pull her closer. She was sweet, and it didn't take much to take over her mouth because she went limp in his hands. Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to pull her flush against him. His other arm circled her waist and held her tight. Only when oxygen was needed did they pull away, but only enough to breathe.

"We shouldn't do this." Kagome whispered, her head and her heart at war over what was the right decision. He felt wonderful, and he kissed way too good for it to be healthy. Her body craved more, while a part of her begged to not be broken again.

"Why?" he breathed into her hair. It had been a long time since he had kissed a woman, but damn did she know how to kiss.

"What if something happens to me…or you? One of us would end up hurt." She tried to rationalize, desperation starting to take over.

"It'd be worth it." He answered while looking at her again. He had never been a romantic per say, but she brought out a gentle side of him that even he wasn't aware was there. Even if something were to happen, he didn't want to regret not showing her how he felt. Kagome looked like she was going to argue, but he wasn't having it. He leaned down and kissed her again, much harder and rougher this time. Her mind scattered under the attention, and she couldn't find a reason to stop him anymore. Instead, she fisted her hands in his jacket, and held on for the ride.

**Ok, I hope you people are happy! lol, they finally did it, well not 'it' it but they kissed at least. Hope everyone enjoyed and I hope to read some good reviews ;) I live for reviews people!**


	15. Chapter 15

**WARNING: later in the chapter there will be some explicit content, and not what you Daryl/Kagome fans are wanting. Let's just say that Shane get's a hold of Kagome. You'll know when you get there, but I wanted to warn those that might have a problem with things of that nature. **

**Otherwise, I hope everyone likes this chapter. The next chapter will end season 2 and on we go with season 3. Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews, I hope to see more. :)**

The funeral was short, but everyone had tears in their eyes from the loss of Dale. Even though he had angered people, gotten under their skin, he had always been honest and true to himself. Without his voice of reason Kagome knew that things were about to escalate, and fast. She glanced through her hair at Shane, who in turn was glaring at Rick. Rick's words of encouragement did not have an effect on Shane, the psycho was going to try and kill Rick anyway. Kagome felt a nudge at her right shoulder, and cut her eyes in that direction. She met Daryl's curious gaze, then shook her head to tell him that now wasn't the time, she'd tell him later what was on her mind. The night before flashed through her mind, and she had to smother the smile that wanted to appear. He was wonderful, nothing other than the kissing happened, but that alone had been mind-blowing. Kagome knew that it was a disastrous path to walk, and if she didn't know any better, she'd swear that destiny had a sick twisted plan for her. Granted she put herself in the current situation, but the fact that a damn dream had worked was what made her wonder.

Rick said his last words, then everyone took a final moment to wish Dale a final farewell. Kagome lingered for a little while after everyone else but Daryl had left. Then she too turned to leave, too much was needing to be done and standing there feeling sorry for herself wasn't going to help. Supplies needed to be gathered, on top of everyone planning to move into the house together. Kagome of course, knew that it wouldn't last a single night. If things went the way she knew they would, that night they would evacuate the farm, and never come back.

"You ok?" Daryl asked as they both walked back to the others.

"Yeah I'm fine, just feeling the tension still between the two alpha dogs." She replied as she nodded toward Shane and Rick. "Something tells me it's not over…" she trailed off as they neared the group, Rick was giving out orders in order to have a watch system set up.

"I need you and Daryl on double duty." Rick was talking to T-Dog, and Kagome saw out of her peripheral vision Daryl nod his head. "Kagome I want you to be in the rotation for watch, you're one of our best shots." Rick said.

"She's not the only one." Andrea snapped while walking up, apparently not happy about the Asian girl getting recognition for something. "What about patrols?"

"We'll lock down the area first, then Shane will assign shifts while Daryl and I take Randall offsite and cut him loose." A dark look passed over Shane's face, and it didn't take long before he opened his mouth.

"Back to that now?"

"It was the right plan first time around, just poor execution."

"At's a slight understatement." Shane mumbled. Lori was near and watching closely, as was everyone. The tension was palatable, no one was ignorant of it.

"You don't agree but this is what's happenin', swallow it…and move on." Rick stepped closer to Shane, telling him that there was no arguing needed. It was decided, and nothing Shane could say would change it. They exchanged a few more words, then Rick walked off to oversee the move. Shane shook his head, then glanced around. His eyes landed on Lori, but she just looked away and walked away as well. Then his eyes landed on Kagome, but she didn't back down. She held his gaze for a few minutes, then once he looked away she picked up some of the bags and started towards the house. Daryl had already left to better secure the shack with Randall, so she decided to help unload the truck into the house. On the way up, she overheard Rick and Hershel talking about Shane. Other than that, she didn't pay attention to them.

"Kagome." She heard her name and stopped, letting Rick catch up to her.

"Yeah?"

"I want you to help Hershel keep an eye on thangs when I'm gone." Rick said, and for a second Kagome was surprised.

"Why me?" she asked. Andrea was supposed to be the one he gave that job, this was unexpected.

"Hershel trusts you, an' so do I."

"I figured Andrea would be the better option." She tried to realign the events, but it seemed that it wasn't going to work that way.

"Maybe but I don't thank she'd be able to handle Shane. You've already proved ya can." Rick said while Hershel agreed.

"I know you ain't gonna do anythang stupid." Hershel said while looking over the rest of the group. "You, Daryl and Rick seem to be the only ones capable of rational thinking." He added. Kagome didn't know what to do, this wasn't how the show went, and it was starting to worry her with all the deviations from the original story line.

"Ok, I'll keep an eye on Shane and the others." Kagome agreed. "What do you want me to do if he goes off the handle though?"

"Hopefully it won't come to that, but if he does then do what you have to." Rick answered while looking to Hershel for conformation, which Hershel was of the same mind. Shane was unpredictable, and if it came to it they would handle him accordingly.

"Ok." She nodded her head then went to start unpacking the truck. She had no problem handling Shane, but Andrea was a different issue. The woman was just as unstable, and she absolutely hated Kagome's guts. 'This will be interesting.' Kagome thought sarcastically.

oOoOo

Kagome had decided that instead of moving her stuff in the house, she packed it all into a backpack. That night would be it, all hell was going to break loose. With her knowledge, she was planning to get things ready so they had a better chance of getting away from the herd. Granted she might be able to stop the whole thing, but honestly that would screw up the storyline WAY too much. They needed to leave the farm, and in turn a lot of other things would happen to the group. First she made sure all of her stuff was tucked into the RV, she had no intentions of leaving the RV like in the show. They would need it, badly. Next she made sure that there was a stash of as much supplied in the RV as she could possibly put in there. No one noticed what she was doing, they were all busy doing their own things. The only one that she saw looking her way was Daryl, and she wasn't worried about him. However, she had noticed Shane wasn't in sight. Scrunching up her brows, she did a quick scan of the area, no Shane. 'Oh great!' she thought as she made a beeline for the shack. Kagome quickly opened the door, only to find it empty.

"Damn it!" she swore to herself. Shane had already drug Randall in the woods, and there was no way she could find them before he broke the kid's neck. Things were in motion, and time was limited. She needed to find Daryl! "Daryl, Rick!" she yelled while running toward the house. They had been putting stuff in the truck in preparation of dumping Randall again, and they both dropped their stuff when she screamed.

"What is it?" Daryl was the first to reach her, quickly assessing her for any injury and finding none.

"Randall's gone!" she said. In the show they didn't immediately suspect Shane, but if she had her way then that night would go slightly different than the original. Kagome just had to say her words right, and wait.

"How?" Rick asked.

"I don't know. The cuffs are still there, he must have slipped them." She had to be careful not to say too much, she knew how Shane was going to try and play this. Hopefully though, she could play him at his own game. Everyone had gathered by then, they all knew that the prisoner was missing. Kagome let them panic, but kept her eyes on the tree line. Just as she suspected, Shane came stumbling out of the woods, bloody nose, and yelling for Rick.

"Rick! Rick!" Everyone started towards the man, no one but Kagome knew what he had just done. That was fine, they could be ignorant to the situation for now.

"What happened?" Lori asked.

"He's armed…he got my gun!" Shane went into what had, according to him, happened. Kagome knew that he had hidden his gun in some leaves at the edge of the trees, and she planned to find it before he had a chance to use it. Kagome also knew that Randall was dead, though he would reanimate by nightfall, but at the moment he wasn't a threat…Shane was. She had to keep him away from Rick, and she had an idea.

"I'm coming, I can help track." Kagome said while catching up to Daryl, Rick, Shane, and Glenn. Daryl looked like he was going to argue, but Rick cut him off.

"We can split up into two groups, a tracker with each one." He said while they entered the woods. Kagome easily saw where Shane had hid the pistol, and without them noticing she had scooped down and grabbed it, then put into her boot. Never missing a step, and only agreeing to the plan. Daryl immediately started to look for signs of Randall, but Kagome knew what he would find. "Daryl, you and Glenn head up the right flank, Kagome, me and Shane'll take the left. Remember, Randall's not the only threat out there, let's keep an eye out for each other."

Daryl looked at Kagome then at Shane, but didn't say anything. Kagome could see that he didn't like them being split up, especially with her going with Shane. It was best, and she smiled at him with a wink. Earning her a glare from him, which only made her smile bigger.

"Watch your back." Daryl told her, and she knew what he meant. It wasn't referring to walkers, but to a living, breathing dickhead that wasn't acting right.

"As long as you do." She replied, then turned to follow Shane and Rick. She knew Daryl could handle himself, they would find Randall, or at least his walking corpse. They could handle it, but she'd have her hands full with these two men, and Shane was out for blood.

"Kagome you lead for now, see if you can see anythang." Rick said, and wisely kept himself between her and Shane. Rick wasn't blind, he knew Shane had it out for the girl, almost as much as Shane did for him.

"On it." She said. This was going to be a long evening.

oOoOo

Night had fallen, and they still hadn't found anything. Kagome had picked up a trail of a walker, but hadn't told them it was a walker. She was intentionally leading them around the property, but keeping close to the edge of the forest as she could. Tension was spreading up her spine, and she knew that Shane would only wait so long before he snapped. Her being there put a kink in his plan, but he would still attempt it sooner or later. He was in too deep not to, what with killing Randall and leading everyone on this little walker-chase.

"He got your gun huh?" Rick asked. His voice breaking the silence.

"My favorite piece too, he's gonna…gonna wish he'd killed me when I find his sorry ass." Shane stuttered for a moment, but otherwise kept up the façade. Kagome stopped and turned, watching them. If Shane made a move, then she would make hers. However, she was starting to think that calling Shane out would be easier. She had the 'favorite piece' in her boot still, she could blow his story and let Rick know what was really going on. Maybe they could subdue Shane before he tried anything.

"Rick." She called lightly to him. Bringing them to a stop, just inside the tree line, Kagome walked up to him. "He's lying."

"What'd you just say?" Shane came up and grabbed her by the arm, but she ripped her limb back.

"I said you're lying, otherwise this wouldn't have been hidden in some leaves." Kagome pulled his gun out of her boot, and handed it to Rick. "I don't think we're going to find Randall out here."

"You bitch!" Shane growled but Rick stepped in front of him, stopping his advancement on the woman.

"Calm down, just calm down. I kinda figured somethin' like that was up, is this where you were plannin' to do it?" Rick asked, motioning to their surroundings. He didn't see the fist coming toward his face, nor could he stop it if he had. Shane used his whole body to knock Rick unconscious, then stepped over his body towards his new target.

"You have a bad habit of fucking plans up." He sneered. Kagome didn't dare take her eyes off of him, but sadly that meant she couldn't see the large branch on the ground. Her feet hit it and sent her falling backwards over the wood, slowing her retreat enough for him to catch up to her. He caught her leg and kept her down, since she had been trying to stand, and used his body weight to hold her down to the ground. "I said to watch that mouth of yours, would get you into more trouble than you'd like." His breath washed over her face like an acid.

"I told you I could handle myself!" she retorted while squirming, trying to get him off of her. He was too heavy from this position, if they were standing she could overpower him but not like this. He was using gravity and his bulk to hold her, then his hands caught her attention. "What the hell are you doing?" she hissed while increasing her fight.

"What I've wanted to do since that first day!" he smirked, he had found the hem of her shirt and pushed it up roughly. The other was teasing the edge of her jeans, and Kagome was starting to get scared for the first time.

"You're disgusting!" she reached her hand back and punched him in the face as hard as she could, intentionally hitting his already broken nose. It stunned him enough that she was able to roll out from under him, but he recovered in time to tackle her around the waist. "Get off of me!" she yelled. She didn't care if she attracted a walker or several, anything was better than what he wanted to do to her.

"I ain't finished with you." He pushed her face into the dirt, while sliding a hand down the back of her pants. Kagome flailed her legs, trying her hardest to kick him in the jewels, the gut, anywhere! He was too high on her body, he was also holding her hands down, and she couldn't reach him at all. She held in the scream of disgust and humiliation when his fingers found their destination, and she fought harder to no avail. She felt Shane lean down to her ear and swung her head back, aiming for his nose again. "Nice try babe, but I've got you right where I want you." To emphasize his meaning, he allowed his digits to enter her.

"When I get up from here you son of a bitch…" the sudden loss of his weight cut off her threat, and she wasted no time in rolling over and getting to her feet. Kagome pulled her knife this time, and headed to where she saw Rick had a hold of Shane. Rick's nose was bleeding a little, but he was able to pull Shane away from her.

"Do it!" Rick yelled. Kagome leapt forward to kill Shane, but Shane managed to swing Rick around and into the line of attack. Kagome pulled back and caught Rick, and in one fluid motion spun to throw her blade towards Shane. Her aim was spot on, and he sank to his knees with it embedded in his throat. Kagome landed next to Rick on the ground, breathing heavier than she ever remembered. Their breathe becoming a visible fog in the cold air, but all was still otherwise.

"Thank you." She said, not looking to Rick but counting that he knew what she meant. If he hadn't have woken up when he did, Shane wouldn't have stopped until he had gotten what he wanted. The thought alone sent a trimmer down her spine, and she felt like she needed to puke.

"No, thank you for being here." He said while wiping his brow like he does, "I should've seen what he was planning."

"Either way, it's over." She said. Suddenly a deep, gurgling moan was heard. Kagome was instantly on her feet, but the resounding gunfire made her cover her ears. She watched as Shane fell back to the ground, officially dead and not rising again. In the heat of the moment she spaced, again. Kagome cut her eyes over to Rick, but he didn't have his gun out. Then they both looked to the trees, and there was Carl with a gun still pointed at Shane's body.


	16. Chapter 16

**Ok, sorry again for the long wait. I just started back to college for the Spring semester and it's already a bitch. I will try to update around spring break, that's the soonest I can honestly see me being able to update. Though, this chapter ends season two of the Walking Dead and the next will kick off to season three. Hope everyone enjoys, and I hope to read some amazing reviews :)**

Kagome bowed her head with a huge sigh, Carl had stepped in and put Shane down for the second time. At least SOME of the damn scenario had followed the original plot, but she had not anticipated Shane turning on her like he had. She had known that he didn't have the purest intentions when he had threatened her, but rape hadn't been part of her concerns. She shook her head, and tried to push that outcome out of her head for now. He had gotten close, too close. She was stupid for underestimating him, and it had almost cost her. Rick saved her ass, pretty much literally. Kagome glanced over to Shane's officially dead body, and for an instant wanted to go over and shoot him in the balls. However, she knew that it wouldn't matter, he wouldn't feel anything, and she wouldn't feel better. Instead she settled for saying a very ill-willed prayer for his soul, then attempted to wipe him from her mind completely.

Kagome had a bigger problem to think about now; that last gunshot probably had gotten the full attention of a zombie horde, and they would be there soon. Kagome looked over and saw Rick talking to his son, most likely about what had just happened. Carl wasn't ready yet to know the details of what had happened, or that it had been Shane as the bad guy. The boy had looked up to him, had even seen him as a role model until his father had come back. So having to put Shane down probably was weighing heavy on his mind, but also he might have seen her kill him first. That hadn't even crossed her mind till now, Carl might have seen her throw her knife into the man's throat. If that was the case, she needed to talk to him too. But, that had to wait until the immediate danger was dealt with. Taking a deep breath to calm herself a little, she stepped up to them to get their attention.

"I insist we get back to the farm, NOW!" Kagome didn't wait for them to answer; she turned and took off in a run back to the house. Luckily she could see the outline of the house in the distance, hopefully she'd get back in time to get everyone on the move. The sound of footsteps following her settled her nerves about Carl and Rick, she had hoped they would catch up, but she cut her eyes to the left and saw the countless bodies already emerging from the tree line in a different pasture. 'Fuck!' she swore in her mind and picked up her pace, running at top speed that even Sesshoumaru would've been proud of. Rick and Carl would just need to catch up to her as best as they could, she couldn't waste time. With the added speed, she made it to the porch where everyone was starting to pull guns out of the weapon bag.

"Don't bother there's too many, it would be a waste of bullets. We need to leave, now." Kagome said while trying to catch her breath.

"This is my farm, I'll die here." Hershel said while loading a gun and walking towards the steps. Kagome knew that he meant it, it was part of what made her like him so much. She quickly turned to Daryl who was standing closest to her.

"We have to get everybody in a vehicle and ready to leave. This herd will overrun us if we're not careful."

"What happened to you?" his question caught her off guard, and he was looking from her face to her side and back. She could only imagine what her face looked like after having it pushed in to the ground not too long ago, but she looked down to her body and saw that fresh blood was glistening in any light that hit it. All the adrenaline must be preventing her from feeling anything, with things the way they were that was most likely a good thing. Who knew when she could've gotten that badly injured, it was likely at any point during her squabble with Shane. But she didn't want to think about that, not right now, they had bigger issues to deal with.

"Where's Shane?" Andrea asked while loading her own gun.

"That's the least of our problems right now, and he didn't make it back." She answered quietly while turning to see how close the walkers were. They were just now reaching the barn, the group had a few minutes before it got serious. Thankfully, Carl and Rick had made it back to the house instead of getting caught in the barn. However now, the lack of a burning building didn't give the walkers a distraction from the house.

"Kagome's right, there's no way we can fend off this many. They'll tear down everythang." Rick said once Lori was assured they were ok. She had emerged when she heard that Rick and her son were back, quickly assessing them to make sure they were fine.

"I loaded the RV with extra supplies, and the cars have as much as they can hold. We need to leave." Kagome advised while glancing over her shoulder at the hundreds of walkers that were growing closer by the second.

"I ain't leavin'." Hershel said while he walked out into the yard, and started to take aim. Everyone already had their weapons, so they all climbed into the cars and took off. Andrea rode shotgun while T-Dog drove the old truck, and Maggie and Glenn took the SUV. Lori grabbed Carl and ran inside with Carol, Beth, and Patricia. Leaving Rick, Daryl, and Kagome standing around the porch.

"This isn't going to end well." Kagome sighed, she had hoped that she could convince them to leave. Apparently they were going to have to see that the herd was too big to manage, and they would be forced to escape anyway.

"Well, if we're gonna die, it's as good a night as any." Daryl swung his legs over the railing and landed next to her. "You ride with me; we can take out a few while gainin' as much attention as we can."

"Fine…Rick, don't let Jimmy take the RV, make sure it's available when we have to escape." Kagome said while heading to climb onto Daryl's bike just as he took off. She already had her gun in hand while she wrapped the other around Daryl's waist, just to ensure that she didn't get knocked off. Soon enough they were zooming towards the horde of walking dead, Kagome already aiming and firing with swift accuracy. One by one, walkers dropped like flies. Only there were dozens more to take its place in gaining on them. The loud motorcycle got the attention of plenty, but others were being led the other way by gun shots and multiple vehicles driving along the fence line. Kagome leaned forward so she could make sure Daryl heard her. "We need to make sure the one's in the house get out safely."

"You're so sure we're gonna have ta leave here…why?" he asked while maneuvering the bike back towards the house.

"Woman's intuition." She answered lamely. Kagome looked around to try and find everyone on their way back, and she was happy to see that Rick had managed to take over the RV and was keeping the walkers at bay. "Rick!" she screamed to get his attention. "Get Lori and the others!" seeing his nod, she refocused on Daryl's maneuvering. They shot as many bodies as they could to give the others time. Kagome saw that Maggie and Glenn were getting surrounded down towards the tree line, but she knew they'd make it out ok. Suddenly a scream caught her attention and she turned her head, only to see Jimmy pulled from the bed of the blue truck. T-Dog was behind the wheel, but something must've happened for Jimmy to have been caught off guard. Kagome closed her eyes for a moment, as his screams faded out, and only the gurgling sounds of the walkers were left.

"Damn." She heard Daryl say. There was nothing to be done now, he was gone at that point. The best they could do was to get the others out, and make sure they survived. She looked up and saw Rick pull Lori and Carl into the RV, next was Carol, but Beth and Patricia were slightly behind. Knowing already that one more would die that night, Kagome was left to watch Patricia be caught and devoured while Lori pulled Beth away from the carnage and into the vehicle. Rick quickly sped to Hershel, who was focused on taking out as many of the dead as he could, but it wasn't enough. They managed to get his attention and get him into the RV, just in time before a walker had tried to grab him.

"We need to get out of here." Kagome said just loud enough for her companion to hear her, and all he did was nod. Daryl revved the bike, and took off behind the RV away from the farm. Kagome looked behind and saw that T-Dog was right behind them, but Andrea wasn't with him like before. Confused, Kagome couldn't think of why she would have left the truck this time. Originally she had gotten out for Lori and Beth to get in, then left when they thought a walker had got to her. Lori was in the RV with Rick, so why did Andrea get out of the truck? 'Oh well, she should come across Michonne at some point and be fine.' But then again that also meant that they would have to still deal with her when it came time for the Governor, and that was something Kagome wasn't looking forward to. For now, the cold air on her face pulled her out of her thoughts and back to the present.

"We're gonna head back to the highway I think, meet up with everyone there." Daryl said while rounding a corner and through a small group of walkers. All she could do was nod her head on his shoulder, then burrow into his shoulder blades. She was tired, they all had been up all night. With Shane's stunt, then the horde, no one had gotten any sleep and it was starting to hit her. Also her side was throbbing, the adrenaline was leaving her and she was now feeling her injuries fully. But she could stay awake for a little while longer, she really didn't want to fall off of a moving motorcycle. For now, she would rest until they made it back to the highway, the first place that she had encountered the group.

oOoOo

By the time they had made it to the car that had their message to Sophia, Kagome saw that everyone was arriving at the same time. Glenn and Maggie, T-Dog, and then everyone that had gotten into the RV. Even though they lost all the same people as in the show, at least now they had the RV. A saving grace until they could find the prison, which Kagome knew to be not too far away. Hopefully with her knowing that it was close, they would find it sooner than in the show. She wasn't looking forward to spending the next six or more months out in the open, or in the cold.

Quietly, Kagome watched as everyone hugged and then assessed where the lost ones were. Shane didn't make it, and Kagome hoped that details weren't demanded yet. Then Andrea was, as far as T-Dog knew, lost to the walkers. Patricia of course had been ambushed and killed, Beth started to cry because she had seen the whole thing up close. Then Jimmy was declared dead as well, that leaving just them in the group. Kagome knew that Andrea was still alive, but they wouldn't see her for some time now. Months down the road, and hopefully by then they would have the prison in better shape than in the show. Kagome wanted to make things go better than in the show, with as little impact on the actual plot as possible. Her presence had altered a few things already, but so far the same people had died, and they were moving along.

"We need to keep movin', they'll be walkers crawling all over here." Rick said, breaking the silence of mourning.

"I say head east." T-Dog offered, he wanted to go to the coast even though that was no guarantee either.

"Stay off the main roads, bigger the roads the more walkers, more assholes like this one. I got him." Daryl said while taking aim at an approaching walker. A single one, not even a threat, but everyone had seen what a large number of them could do. He easily took it down, and then everyone loaded up in the cars and took off. Rick took over the SUV, while Glenn and Maggie's family got in the RV. Lori, Carl, and T-Dog rode with Rick, while Kagome rode with Daryl on his bike. As much as she wanted to crawl into the RV and go to sleep, they needed to get as far away as they could. They were sitting ducks on the highway. So she wrapped her arms around Daryl's waist, and held on as tight as she could.

oOoOo

A sudden honking jolted her awake, Kagome groggily realized she had fallen asleep with her face burrowed into Daryl's back. He was warm, even though the air around them was cold he was warm and comfortable. No wonder she had dozed off, but how in the world did she manage not to fall off the damn thing? They were pulling over and coming to a stop by the time she was fully awake. She stood as Daryl put the kickstand in place, tilting the bike to the side and standing as well. Her legs were sore and she could only imagine his were as well. Kagome didn't know how long she had been asleep, but based on the sun it was probably for a couple of hours or so. 'Damn.' She thought with a shake of her head.

"Ya outta gas?" Daryl asked Rick as he came closer.

"Runnin' on nothin' but fumes." He replied. Kagome could tell the others were cold, Carl was shivering and Lori wasn't fairing much better. She already knew what was coming, they would be camping out tonight. Things were also going to get tense soon, tension was already running high and this wasn't going to help. She already could hear the objections to staying put for the night, but even she knew that separating was a stupid idea. They didn't know the area, and who knew how many walkers were around let alone any living threats. However, she wasn't worried about that and frankly she mentally checked out while they argued. Instead, she pulled her gun and kept an eye on the area. All was quiet except for the scared and trembling voices of the group. Kagome kept scanning the woods, the road in both directions, but nothing caught her attention.

"We're all infected." Rick's voice cut through her, and suddenly a realization hit her along with the rest of them. She was now a part of this world, did that mean she was infected too? She froze, much like the others, and just let it sink in. When the others had recovered, they started to blame Rick for not telling them, but Kagome sided with the ex-deputy. What good would it have done? Nothing, they would have feared more, been less willing to push on. Now they knew, and Kagome felt her stomach drop. She most likely was infected too, and if for whatever reason she was killed she would turn too. Would that mean she wouldn't get home? Would she wake up then? Would she die here and never know either way? Too many questions plagued her mind, and she felt faint. But she righted herself, and acted like nothing was affecting her even though she was a wreck inside. This wasn't part of the wish, none of this was supposed to actually happen. 'So much for that.' She thought ruefully.

oOoOo

Later in the day, after night had fallen and a fire had been built, everyone sat around in silence. Everyone was questioning whether Rick was in his right mind, but Kagome knew that no matter what they thought they would stay together. Hershel's insistence was enough for the rest of them to stay, even if they didn't understand.

"What happened to Shane?" Lori asked softly. She knew that Rick was supposedly the last one to see him, she didn't know the details. Frankly Kagome had hoped it would take longer for that to come up, she really didn't want Daryl to know what had happened the night before. She looks at Rick to see what he will do, and he's looking at her. He nods his head, Kagome knows he means that she needs to say it, and that he has her back.

"I killed him." Kagome says without looking anyone, only the flames of the fire. Silence overtakes the camp again, but this time every set of eyes is on her. Lori's especially, and Kagome tries not to scoff. She is such a hypocrite. All the crap about fearing Shane, about him being a danger, and yet she's surprised and upset by his death.

"What?" Carol breaths, and Kagome can feel the pointed stare from Daryl at her side.

"He attacked Rick, then me, I did what I had to in order for us to get back alive." Kagome says, while staring into Lori's eyes, daring her to say something.

"Is that why you were bleedin'?" Daryl askes. Thankfully the bleeding had stopped on its own, and with the stream nearby Kagome had cleaned herself up before dark. Though not before Daryl and Carol had seen the damage to her side.

"We fought, I fell over a fallen tree." She explained still not looking at anyone, she didn't want to go into any more detail about what he had tried to do. Rick's face was scrunched up, like he does when he's bothered by something. No doubt he saw what Shane had attempted, and thankfully he had come to in time to stop it. She owed him still for that.

"Then you killed him?" Lori asked.

"He was going to kill Rick." Kagome said in her defense. Once again daring Lori to say more with a glare, she must have gotten the point because she shut up and turned to cuddle with Carl. Who hadn't said anything about his part in the whole thing, which was fine, it was probably better that way for now. Though he was looking at her the same way as Rick, it made her wonder if he had seen more than she originally thought. That made a shiver run up her spine, she hoped not. No child should know of those evils. Everyone was quiet again, even Daryl. Slowly, those who weren't on watch started to fall asleep. It was cold, but with everyone huddled close to each other it compensated for the cold. Rick was on watch, but Kagome couldn't sleep. Memories skirted her memory, and she desperately wanted to soak in a hot bath and scrub every last trace of Shane from her skin. However, that wasn't possible at the moment, and wouldn't be until she figured out where the hell the prison was from there. They needed to find it ASAP, and she knew it was close. Based on the camera angle when the episode ended, the prison was in the background. Looking around, she determined that it must be towards the north of their current location. With some luck, she could maneuver them to it in a few days.

"What happened?" Kagome jumped and nearly screamed when Daryl's voice washed over her ear. He was close, and she hadn't noticed. 'Damn him!' she cursed him in her mind while trying to calm her pulse.

"You just scared the shit out of me, that's what happened." Kagome said quietly so she wouldn't wake anyone. Rick was out of earshot of them, and the others were sound asleep.

"With Shane…" he trailed off, hinting that he wanted to know everything.

"I told you…" this time he cut her off.

"I know what ya told them, and it ain't everythang." He says pointedly. "What happened?" he repeats, and then stares at her. Letting her know that he won't leave her alone until she tells him, but God how she doesn't want to.

"What does it matter, it's over and he's dead." She says.

"It matters, you're hidin' somethin'."

"How do you know?" Kagome asks, trying to evade the topic.

"You're quiet, and you didn't look at anyone. Ya only do that if you don't want to spill somethin'." Kagome mentally curses again, how the hell did he learn her so well in such a short amount of time?

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Why?" he's watching her closely, looking for anymore tells. He can tell she doesn't want to say what happened, but he needs to know. It had been bothering him since he had seen the blood, but they hadn't had a chance to talk until now.

"Because…I just…don't want to think about it ok?" Kagome pleads, it was too soon for her. She hadn't come to terms with it, or her thoughts about it either. "I'll tell you, eventually. Just, not now…please?"

"You promise?" he doesn't want to let it go, but for her sake, he will for now. It won't leave him alone until he knows, but he can tell that whatever it is has her shaken up. He knows when to give people space, and now is one of those times.

"Promise, just give me some time." Kagome says as she finally meets his eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes, that for so many years had looked untouchable through a television screen. Now they were right in front of her, staring back into her own blue eyes, and it made her heart race again. He was so much better looking in person, which was hard to believe but it was true. She sees him cut his eyes at Rick, who has his back to them. Whether he is intentionally giving them privacy, or he's just in watch mode Kagome can't tell. But seeing that they aren't being watched, Daryl turns back to her.

"A'right, you're off the hook for now." He says with a smirk, which she smiles back. Then she's slightly taken off guard when her mouth is covered by his, warm against the cold air. This was only the third time they'd kissed, but it's just as hot and arousing as the first. She leans into him, and allows everything about him to wash away the bad memories. His touch overshadows Shane's, and his warmth erases all traces of the disgust she had felt. This had been what she needed, and he didn't even know it. Maybe he did in a way, or maybe not, it didn't matter. The kiss was short, but it was more than she could have hoped for. Daryl then gently guides her head onto his shoulder, where he tells her to get some sleep. She obliges, and with the final thoughts of finding the prison soon, she drifts off in his arms.

**There ya go, leave me a comment if you'd like and until next time my lovelies...Thanks!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Ok, y'all get a new chapter early. Happy Valentine's Day everyone, I hope everyone likes the update. There's a little something at the end that I think everyone will love.**

Kagome was absolutely pissed, and it was at no one else but herself. They had been on the move for a week, and she still hadn't figured out where the hell the prison was. It shouldn't have been this hard to find, or at least she thought it shouldn't. She was riding behind Daryl again, while desperately trying to figure out what to do. Nothing had changed between her and Daryl, he still didn't know what had happened that horrible night, and she wasn't ready to talk yet either. He gave her space, and in return she gave him his. Their time alone was limited, far more than before. Which at this stage in the game, that was fine by her. She was focused on getting them to the prison, and she was really getting into a pissy mood because they hadn't found it yet. Suddenly they started to slow down, and she figured that Rick was planning to do a sweep for supplies. Let everyone stretch their legs, maybe find a place to stay for the evening if they could. They stopped and Kagome took a moment to get her land legs back, stretching her tight muscles before they started a sweep of the area. Daryl's bike never failed to draw attention, which in some cases was fine, in others not so much.

"Kagome and Daryl take those houses to the right, T-Dog and Carl come with me, Glenn and Maggie watch our backs." Rick said while pointing out our assigned directions. Everyone nodded, knowing what they were looking for and also what to do if there was trouble…scream bloody murder.

Kagome pulled her knife and then pulled a bow over her shoulder. It was luck that she had come across a long bow a few days before, along with a quiver that she made sure was stocked with arrows at all times. Daryl helped her with that, and together they made a pretty badass team. Weapons at the ready, they approached the first house. It was one story, thank God, because Kagome hated doing sweeps in two or more story houses. It never failed that she always got in a tight situation in those. They tried looking in the windows first, but didn't see anything, so they slowly slipped through the door. Daryl signaled her to go left, and she quietly made her way down a long hall.

Kagome moved slow, taking her time and listening for anything other than Daryl's footsteps. The place was quiet, but that didn't mean anything anymore. Walkers could be silent, especially if they didn't see or hear anything like food. She glanced behind herself but didn't see Daryl, so she continued to the end of the hallway. One by one she tapped on doors, and then opened them. Each one empty. Slowly her muscles loosened, and then she made a beeline for the kitchen. Daryl was just emerging from what looked like a garage area.

"Anything?" Kagome asked while opening cabinets and drawers.

"Few cans, some water-nothin' much but it's somethin'."

"Good." She smiled, stuffing whatever she found in her bag. Once they were sure they got everything, they left as quietly as they came.

Three houses, ten walkers, three bottles of water, and six cans of food later…they headed back to the group. Rick and the others hadn't returned yet, but they knew everything was fine because no screams or shots. In the meantime, Kagome decided to scan the tree line out of boredom. She stayed within eyesight of the others, but walked a good way away from them. It seemed that the few houses and a gas station was the only thing in that spot. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Kagome stopped walking and just soaked up the sun. Even though it was cold, the sun felt great on her skin. Rolling her neck, she heard and felt it pop several times. Then she raised her head and froze. There, through the trees, she saw fences. Her eyes widened slightly, then she took off running. Kagome heard her name called, most likely by Daryl, but she didn't stop. If it was what she thought it was, and she really prayed it was, she was going to do a victory dance. She heard feet running after her, but she picked up her pace and broke through the bushes and skidded to a stop. Thankfully she had avoided falling into the creek just below the embankment, but she barely noticed.

"It's here." She whispered smiling.

Right in front of her, standing tall and welcoming despite the several dozen walkers, was the prison. She barely registered that Daryl and Rick had come up behind her, until she heard Rick gasp. They all knew what this meant, protection and shelter. After they cleared it though, of course. There was no way all those walkers within the fences would allow them through without trying to take a bite. Kagome glanced over to Rick, and he was staring at the place with joy and relief. It was hope, something that everyone except Kagome had lost.

"We'll have to clear it." She said while glancing back to the facility.

"We can do it, section by section." Rick answered nodding. They had the RV and everyone could take shelter in there at least until they made into the building itself.

"Is this why ya ran?" Daryl asked, pointing a look at Kagome. All she did was nod with a smile, and then they turned back to get everyone else.

Within half an hour, they had all the vehicles close by and Rick was cutting through the fence with some wire-cutters. Kagome made sure that no walkers snuck up on them while he was doing it, and once it was big enough for someone to fit through they crawled in. They had just managed to get the hole closed when the first walker slammed into the fence. Thankfully though, it held and they were sprinting through the walkway between the fences to the main gate. They all stopped to survey the prison yard, which was crawling with walkers.

"It's perfect." Rick whispered excitedly. This was what they had been hoping for, what they had been searching for. "If we could shut that gate, prevent more from filling the yard we could pick off these walkers. We'll take the field by tonight!" The others started to ask questions about how to shut the gate, or who was going to do it. Glenn volunteered but that was quickly shut down.

"I'll do it, I'm the fastest and I can get take out the ones on my way and save bullets." Kagome says, but Rick starts to argue. "With as many as there is in there, there needs to be as much cover as possible." She says before he can, and the others are in agreement…even Daryl.

"She's quick." Daryl nods his head while looking at the mass of bodies pressing in on both sides. "Let 'er do it." It takes a few minutes but it's agreed that Kagome will run for the gate and close it. They hand her the clips that will secure the fences together, then she pulls her knife and readies herself. Rick mans the gate while everyone else takes their places. Lori, Beth, Glenn, and Maggie take a fence and start makes a lot of noise to lure the walkers in. T-Dog, Carol, Hershel, Carl, and Daryl take to the towers to have an overhead view. Kagome takes a breath and nods to Rick. Once the gate is opened she dashes in and straight towards the other gate. Any walker that gets near quickly has a blade implanted into their skulls, then a thud catches her attention. She swings around with her blade drawn only to see a fallen walker with an arrow in the head. She glances up and nods to Daryl, then she's running again. Within seconds she's at the gate, with a hard kick to a body, she slams the gate shut, and secures the clips. Turning Kagome takes out another one, then dodges a lunging corpse by running into the tower closest to her. Making a beeline up the stairs to the top, she hears Daryl yell "Light it up!"

The next thing she hears as she bursts through the door is a rain of bullets, and the following thud of bodies. She takes aim with her pistol, and assists in clearing the yard. As the last of the dead fall, everyone takes a breath. It's clear, and it's now theirs. They have a place, and it's pretty well protected with the fences. Kagome smiles and heads back down to the ground. She had just walked into the sunlight when she heard T-Dog whoop in joy, making her smile bigger.

"We haven't had this much space since we left the farm!" Carol says while running a little. Everyone has a since of freedom, and safety. A feeling that they hadn't been sure would ever be felt again.

oOoOo

By nightfall, they had a fire setup while Daryl watched the main gate and Rick searched for weak spots in the fence. Kagome sat between Beth and Carol, with Daryl's hunting they had been able to eat squirrels and rabbits till they were satisfied. They had pulled all the vehicles into the yard, and everyone was going to sleep in them. Kagome glanced up to watch Daryl pacing on top of the overturned bus, and smiled a little. She had lost track of how long she'd been in this world, weeks, probably months. It didn't matter anymore, she still had no clue how to get home, if she could. The small chit-chat was starting to lull her to sleep, but she was up for the next watch. So, she stood and headed over to the bus. When Daryl noticed she was walking up, he leaned down and pulled her up to stand next to him.

"Thanks." Kagome said smiling. She enjoyed having him close for a moment, looking into his beautiful eyes.

"Hn." He smirked and then turned to continue his pacing. "It ain't time for ya to take over yet."

"I know, but if I stayed over there I was going to fall asleep."

"Why don't ya?" he asked, walking back over and raising a brow at her.

"It's my turn soon, you know me." She nudged him with her elbow, hinting that he should know that she wouldn't miss her responsibility.

"Yeah." Was all he said, then he crossed his legs as he sat down. Kagome sat next to him, then turned to glance around the area. It was pitch black, hardly any moon to offer its light. The only thing she could see was the outlines of the walkers at the fence, and the trees in the distance. The fire burned behind them, setting a warm glow to their backs. They sat in silence for a while, relishing in the feeling of a reliable barrier between them and the dead. They would be able to sleep tonight, granted a watch was still necessary, but overall this was the best they had had since the farm. Only Kagome knew for certain the peace would only be short lived, the others could only assume.

"Are you happy?" Kagome asked out of the blue. It was a question she used to ask Souta sometimes, to check his well-being. She didn't know why she decided to ask Daryl this, surely the answer would be "no" considering the state of the world. He thinks his brother is dead, and he doesn't have anyone else than this rag-tag group. 'Sounds familiar,' Kagome thinks ironically. Inuyasha was slightly similar, though his brother was a murderous ass for a while. Thankfully Kagome had found out otherwise after everything was over. Sesshoumaru had insisted that she be trained, that way she wouldn't be defenseless any longer.

"Why?" his voice broke through her thoughts.

"Just curious, I would ask my little brother that sometimes." She answered.

"What happened to him?" Daryl was curious, she rarely talked about her family or her life before they found her. It was starting to bug him that he knew so little about her.

"I don't know." Kagome whispers, she couldn't say much, but she was desperate to talk to him about herself. Her family, her life before this, and she knew he wanted to know. Like the others he wanted to know about the strange Asian girl that just popped out of nowhere one day, and she wanted to tell them. But she couldn't, at least not everything. "It all happened so fast, and I haven't been able to find out where they are."

"I hear ya." He murmured, no doubt thinking about Merle and how everything had escalated. Granted he knew his brother was an ass, and he didn't blame Rick anymore for doing what he did, but sometimes he did miss his brother. "Ya never talk 'bout before all this." He said while looking to Kagome again. He watched her sigh, and then look back at him.

"There's a lot about me that I don't want people to know. It just wouldn't make sense, but if you want to know what I can tell you, then I will." It sounded like a riddle, but it was all she could give. Daryl stayed silent, but looked directly into her eyes. Kagome smiled again, and nodded her head. "Ok, well, I was a store manager. I have a bachelor's degree, I lived with my little brother while he was going to college. Umm, I grew up on a shrine in Japan but as you can tell I'm fluent in English. Came in handy in my career, and it helps now that I'm here." She said.

"Hn, I can really call ya a smartass now." Daryl smirked and listened to her laugh. He liked hearing her laugh, he had never heard a more beautiful sound in his life.

"Yeah I guess you can." She replied. "Ok, it's time for me to take over." Kagome stood and slung her bow over her shoulder, while adjusting her quiver.

"Tryin' to get rid a me?" he stood with her, watching as she slipped into a more alert state.

"Maybe." A wink was thrown his way, and the next thing Kagome knew was that she had yelped when her ass stung a little. 'He just slapped my ass!' she thought and whirled around, only to see him already on the ground and walking towards the others. He didn't look back at her, he didn't say anything else, just kept walking like he hadn't done anything. She was slightly stunned, that had been the first time he had touched her like that. Not even when they had made out did he touch anywhere else but modest areas. The closest he had come was her lower back, or her hips, but not any further. With a shake of her head, and small smile, Kagome decided that she liked the new addition to their relationship.

**Ya like? Please leave me a review and let me know. :) **


	18. Chapter 18

Kagome had stayed up all night instead of switching with someone, deciding to let everyone sleep. T-Dog should've been the next to take watch, but she knew what it was like to not sleep for a while, so she just stayed. By the time anyone started to wake, the sun was kissing the tops of the trees. She was tired, in desperate need of sleep, but they planned to move into the court yard of the prison so a nap was out of the question. They would need everyone to be able to clear it, there were a shit-ton more walkers there than there had been in the first yard. Kagome jumped down from the bus as Rick came walking up to her, he looked more rested than she could remember him being.

"Ya didn't let anyone relieve ya." It wasn't a question, and she just smiled.

"T-Dog was snoring, and you guys haven't had a good night's sleep in a long time." She answered while shrugging her shoulders. Daryl stepped up behind Rick right then, and Kagome could see the displeasure in his eyes. He wasn't happy that she hadn't gotten any sleep, but as far as Kagome was concerned he could get over it. He too looked rested, and that made her decide that she would do it again if she had to.

"Don't do that again, you need rest too ya hear?" Rick said while shaking his head. He knew he couldn't control the girl, no one could, which wasn't a bad thing. She was strong, stronger than any of them had given her credit for. That night with Shane had shown Rick the type of person she was, and he would trust her with his life any day.

"No promises." Kagome replied while smiling and walking past them to go check on the others. Thankfully Lori wasn't big pregnant yet, they made it to the prison within a little over a week instead of months. She'd be a bigger help now than in the show because of that, and maybe Kagome could keep her from dying. Though that wasn't a guarantee either, the story line would change drastically if Lori lived. That would have to be dealt with when the time came, which wasn't now.

"Morning Kags." Carol said while handing the younger girl some food. They had some leftover squirrel meat, and it was just fine as jerky.

"Morning." Kagome answered. Everyone was stretching and getting up to clean up a little before the hard work started. Everyone that was a decent shot and fighter would help clear the yard, so they needed to be ready.

The morning was beautiful, clear and sunny. Not too cold, but a wind made it chillier than it really was. Kagome couldn't be more thankful to have the prison for winter, and she was sure the others felt the same. She too took her turn in the RV bathroom, relieving herself, brushing her teeth and hair, then changing into some slightly warmer clothes. Once she was back outside, she retrieved any arrows that she and Daryl had used, then reloaded her guns and strapped on her knives. Kagome planned to use her knives as much as possible, only using the guns if necessary. Arrows could be made, bullets couldn't. They needed to conserve as much ammo as possible until they could find the prison's armory.

"I want you to lead into the yard." Rick's voice caught her attention and she turned to face him. She didn't jump, but she hadn't really heard him come up on her either.

"Why me?" Kagome asked, it was strange having Rick give that job to her. Normally either he or Daryl led the group.

"Daryl needs to cover our rear, make sure none of those walkers get anyone from behind. There's a lot of um in there, I want you to lead because you're fast. You're fast and you can clear a path for the others to get in and do their thang." He was motioning with his head and hands like he always does, and she had to suppress a smirk.

"Alright, I'll do it." She smiled. He did too, and then he walked away to talk to the others. Kagome was once again left with her thoughts, that is, until the ruggishly handsome Daryl walked up to her. "Hey."

"Hey. Rick tell ya the plan?"

"Yeah, I lead and you bring up the ass-end." Kagome smirked while nudging him in the side with her elbow.

"Smartass." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "You be careful, al'ight?" His tone made her smile again, he was so cute.

"I hear you, and I will be. You too." She leaned her head over onto his chest, hearing his steady heartbeat against her ear. It was calming, and in some ways, she felt at home. Which was crazy, she was a long way from home. But she couldn't stop the overwhelming sense of rightness when he was near. Kagome knew she was falling, and damn it if it had to be him. A fictional character, a character that was holding her in a tight embrace but ultimately he was fictional. Norman Reedus was real, but that was in a world far away and she was starting to lose hope of getting back.

"We'll be headin' in soon." Daryl said while giving her one last squeeze, and a light peck on the lips then heading to do who knew what until they made their move. Kagome watched him walk away, ok she could admit, she was also checking out his ass. Then with a shake of the head, she walked back to the group and helped them put everything back in the RV they had used the night before.

**I know this is VERY short, and it sucks I couldn't more done. However, I just moved and Spring Break is over. I start school again tomorrow and I have a lot on my plate, I just don't have time to rewatch the episodes I need to in order to move forward yet. I will as soon as finals are over though, I'm so sorry guys but I won't be able to update at all until mid-May. Thank you so much for the reviews, they keep me going here. I hope you guys are doing good, and I will "see" you in May. Ja'ne**


	19. Chapter 19

I know I promised a chapter in May, well I'm sorry to say it will take me a little longer. I now have limited internet where I live so I'm having difficulty uploading, I'm currently at a coffee shop to post this. I have been sick, in two car accidents, passed my Spring semester with all A's, had a sick baby, moved in with my in-laws, and several other life complications. I'm sorry for making a promise I couldn't keep, but I WILL NOT stop this story. I've already started the next chapter, but it's taking me a little while to get it the way I want it. I have had several requests for longer chapters, and those take a while to write and edit, so please my wonderful readers...be patient with me. I love all the reviews, and I hope that this gives some hope that a chapter will be available soon.

Stick with me, you won't regret it.


	20. Chapter 20

Her heart was racing. Walkers were everywhere, but they had made it inside the building with limited problems. Kagome had just dropped a corpse with a knife to the head, which completely cleared the cell block they found, and now they were trying to catch their breath. There were still who-knew-how many of the bastards in other sections of the prison, not to mention the ones still in the courtyard, but those could be dealt with later. For now, they were inside, had a section cleared, and could start getting things organized.

Slowly, they moved everyone into the block while T-Dog, Daryl, and Kagome drug bodies out of the section. They would burn them later, but for now they just wanted to get settled.

"What do ya think?" Rick asked as the group glanced around.

"Home sweet home." Glenn said smiling.

"For the time bein'." Rick nodded his head. He sure hoped that it would be for a good long while anyway.

"It's secure?" Lori asked.

"This cell block is."

"What about the rest of the prison?" Hershel inquired.

While they were talking, Kagome placed her stuff into the cell on the top level furthest from the entrance. Even though she was a part of the group, she still preferred to be distant to an extent.

"I ain't sleepin' in no cage, I'll take the perch!" Daryl's voice caught her attention, and she smiled and shook her head. That would put him not too far from her, and she wouldn't mind that at all. She liked having him close. She knew it wasn't smart, getting close to someone while in her situation, but she couldn't help it with him.

"So instead of being a bird in a cage, you'll be a bird on a perch?" Kagome said while leaning against her cell door, smiling with her arms crossed.

"That the best ya can do?" was the retort, but he walked over and kissed her on the forehead anyway.

"At the moment, yes. I'm tired."

"Well, if you'd let others take watch like you're supposed to ya wouldn't be." He said while lightly pinching her side which made her squeak and move away a little.

"I didn't hear you complaining, instead I heard you snoring." She giggled.

"I don't snore!" he grumbled while moving his stuff into his designated living area.

"If you say so." Her voice took on a singing lilt, and she returned to putting her own stuff away as it was being brought in by the others. They had moved the vehicles into the inner yard area and slowly it was starting to feel like home. Everyone had claimed their own cells, started making it their own, and she could tell that several were already asleep. With a deep breath, Kagome sat down on her bunk and let her mind go blank. Her presence and meddling had already changed some parts of the plot; she was going to have to tread carefully to make sure it didn't worsen. There was still the persistent worry of how to get home, but there hadn't been any sign of it being possible. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to go into a semi-meditative state. Her body relaxed, her mind calmed, and her heart rate stabilized. She needed to stay level-headed, even though this was a completely unstable situation.

"You ok?" her eyes popped open and met Rick's gaze.

"Just taking it all in." she replied. She scooted over so he could sit next to her, in the seemingly short amount of time they had known each other, he had become a brother figure to her. Especially after the incident with Shane, they knew they had the other's back.

"What do ya think?"

"It's a good spot, but we're going to have to be careful."

"Ya think we'll have problems?"

"When don't we have problems Rick? All I'm saying is we don't need to let our guard down too much." She said while looking him in the eyes. He knew that meant that she was normally right, he couldn't figure it out but it always seemed she knew what was going to happen before it did. He didn't question it; she had proven herself to him multiple times over. He just went with it, she along with Hershel, Daryl and Glenn were the ones he trusted with the group. They were strong, wise, and kept him in line.

"But…for now let's enjoy the peace. Go be with Lori, I'm sure she would love some time with you." Kagome smiled.

"Alright then." He said while nudging her shoulder with his, and leaving.

Everyone slept through the night, even Kagome. It was the first, and surely the last, time that no one kept watch. They planned to clear more of the prison in the morning, find the cafeteria and infirmary; restock their supplies and get a feel for the layout of the place. Kagome knew what the next day had in store for them, and if she had any say, there would be several changes to the plot. Nothing too serious, but things she didn't want to see repeated wouldn't be.

OoOoO

Her bow was in hand, her quiver as full as it could be, and her various weapons in their places. They were all ready to push further into the prison, clear it, and claim any supplies that still remained. Kagome had insisted Hershel stay with the others, saying that her, Daryl, Rick, Glenn, Maggie, and T-Dog were enough. The others could help carry stuff once everything was secured, but for now they wanted to lessen the chances of someone getting hurt. Kagome had evaded the ordeal of Hershel losing his leg, which had been her plan from the start.

"Alright, let's go." Rick said. Carl locked the gate behind them, and off they went.

The halls were dark, only illuminated by the flashlights they carried. Slowly they moved, spray-painting the walls as they went to mark their place and direction. At first they didn't run into anything, just hall after hall of mangled unanimated bodies. Then one corner unleashed Hell on them. Suddenly they were outnumbered, and Maggie and Glenn were separated from them.

"Where'd they go?!" Rick yelled while backing everyone into the first door they could open.

"I dunno!" Daryl and T-Dog yelled back as they slammed the door shut.

"We'll find them; they can handle themselves." Kagome said. She pulled out her knife as they all readied to jump back into the mess. The mass had decreased slightly by the time they reemerged into the hallway, but there were a few stragglers that needed a little extra air in their heads.

"Kagome lead, Daryl cover the back." Rick ordered, and like a well-trained unit they progressed down the hall.

"I hear something down this way!" Kagome said while maneuvering them deeper into the bowels of the prison. "Glenn, Maggie!"

"Kags!" Maggie's voice echoed back. Shortly after they found the two love-birds fending off a small group of walkers. With Daryl still covering their backs, the group took out the last of the dead.

"Ya'll alright?" Rick asked while visually assessing them for bites or scratches.

"We're fine, and we found the doors to the cafeteria." Glenn replied while motioning down the opposite direction.

"At least somein came out a this." Daryl said. They broke the cuffs that had the doors secured and quickly got inside. They could hear more walkers heading their way and wanted to put the doors between them. Quickly, they slid a broomstick through the door handles to give them some time.

"Guys…" Daryl's voice brought their attention to the fact that they weren't alone in the room like they thought they were. A group of inmates stood huddled behind the chain-link separating the dining area from the kitchen.

"Well shit." One of them said, and Kagome closed her eyes with a large sigh. 'I need a nap!' she thought to herself.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Who the hell are you?!"

"They don't look like no rescue team."

"Ok, ok, guys let's settle down." Kagome stepped forward before things got out of hand. "We found this place and we're just looking for supplies."

"Why ya'll need supplies?" one guy asked. But Kagome was zeroed in on the Hispanic looking tough guy, the one with the man-bun, goatee, and the attitude. She knew he was the trouble-maker, and she had no intentions of letting him think any of them were weak.

"How long ya'll been locked in here?" Rick asked, pretty much knowing already that they had no clue what the outside was like.

"About ten months…"

"Well, you guys have a lot of bad news coming your way." Kagome said, never taking her eyes off of the trouble-maker.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded, not liking how the bitch was eyeing him like he was a disease.

"There ain't anyone comin'." Rick started, "No rescue team, no army, nothin'." The looks on their faces fell, and disbelief rippled off of them in waves.

"What?" one stuttered.

"What about my kids?"

"My old lady? Man ya'll gotta cell phone or anything so we can call out?"

"Ya'll don't get it…" Rick scratched his head with his gun, making Kagome pray — and not for the first time — that it never misfired while he was doing that. "There's nothin', no phones, no computers. From what we've seen least half the population's been wiped out." That seemed to get through to them, at least a little.

"So what now?" one of the inmates asked after a few moments of silence.

"Now, today's your lucky day fellas. You've been pardoned by the state of Georgia; you're free ta go!" Daryl said while still aiming his crossbow at their heads. Kagome fought the smirk, that part always made her giggle.

"Hey now, this here is our prison. We've been here all this time!" The mean looking one yelled while coming around the wall to stand closer to them.

"Calm down Tomas, maybe we should listen to them."

"Shut up! They want to take this place from us…"

"We cleared it, we found ya'll, I say this is ours now." Rick's body tensed ready for anything.

"Gentlemen…chill out and take a breath." Kagome interjected again. "Look, we have a large group and we need shelter. You have no idea what the outside has become, so I understand you're reluctant to venture out there. Maybe we can compromise?" she aimed it at Tomas but spoke to everyone.

"Bitch what the hell you know…"

"Watch it Gonzales, she'll whip your ass." Daryl spoke up while moving closer to Kagome.

"I'm not afraid of a little Asian bitch."

"That's enough!"

Everyone stopped and grew quiet, Rick had a booming voice when he needed it. All eyes were on Tomas, and Kagome was hoping that she would have a chance to fight him. His mouth reminded her of Inuyasha's bad days, and she hadn't been a good fighter back then. Now, though, she could use some practice.

"This is our place now, but we can help y'all clear a block for yourselves." Rick said, and he meant it. Although he did feel that something was going to happen with Tomas. He was unstable, and had the look of a man that loved to kill. Rick had seen a few in his old line of work, and things never ended well when those kind were involved. "We'll help, but after that you stick to your block, and we'll stick to ours."

"What kinda bullshit is this?" Tomas demanded. "Think we're gonna play house? Bring each other cakes?"

"I think…that if you want to stay here…you're gonna play by our rules." Rick countered.

"Come on man, it can't be that bad." Tomas' buddies tried to talk some sense into him, but he seemed hell-bent on not listening. He didn't like being told what to do, that was clear, and Kagome already knew how all of this was going to go down.

"Yeah, I mean, they haven't killed us yet." Another said.

"You're all a bunch of pussies!" Tomas yelled but didn't make any other moves. He could tell they were focused on him, especially the woman who hadn't stopped staring at him.

"It's either do as we say, or leave." The ultimatum was left, and with a head nod from Rick T-Dog and Glenn started to grab stuff from the back pantry. A couple of the inmates started helping, the ones Kagome remembered as being Axel and Oscar initiating the assistance. Only Daryl noticed the stare-off that seemed to last forever.

"You gotta problem?" Tomas asked while taking a single step towards Kagome.

"I've got a lot of problems, and you're at the top of that list." She replied.

"I hadn't done nothing to you miss China, acting like you know me." He looked her up and down with malice, but it didn't take long before Kagome saw the realization hit him. She was the only woman, other than Maggie, in the room. But it was clear Maggie was with Glenn, and apparently Tomas hadn't noticed the vibes coming off Daryl.

"I'm Japanese, Asshole." Kagome shook her head; no one could guess right.

"Whatever." He finally looked away when Daryl caught his attention. Without any other words, Tomas turned and walked out of the cafeteria.

"He's gonna be trouble."

"He already is." Kagome watching the inmate leave before answering Daryl.

"You be careful aroun' him, ya hear?" He nudged her shoulder with his elbow, then leaned down and kissed her cheek before going to help the others.

"I hear you, Mr. Protective." She smiled and lightly swatted his ass as he walked away, gaining a sexy-as-hell glare from the filthy man. They might still have trouble coming their way, but she would never get tired of messing with Daryl Dixon.

OoOoO

It didn't take long, just like she knew it wouldn't. Kagome had decided to take up the rear end of the group while they hauled stuff from the cafeteria to their block. Tomas and his two friends hadn't been seen since they had walked off, which didn't sit well with Kagome. She was slightly lost in thought when suddenly she felt a hand in her hair, and a gun to her head.

"Don't move, and don't scream." A low voice growled into her ear.

"And what makes you think I'll listen?" she asked, glancing to the side and seeing Tomas with his two lackeys.

"If you know what's good for ya, you'll behave yourself." Tomas put his nose right next to her neck and breathed in, making disgusted goosebumps raise all over her.

"Well, you don't know me very well." No one had noticed what was happening yet. But a quick whistle from between her lips had Glenn glancing back.

"Guys!" he yelled while putting down the bag of oatmeal he had been carrying.

"Kags!"

"Whoa, whoa, what are you doin'?" Rick demanded.

"She's coming with us, and you're not going to do anything about it either." He had wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back flush to his chest. Their proximity only making things clearer for Kagome, and she couldn't stop the growl or her eyes from rolling.

"Seriously?" she sighed, "Why do all the villains react like this?" she asked more to herself than to anyone else. Tomas' erection pressing harder into the back of her jeans making her curse mentally for being a woman.

"She ain't goin' anywhere with you!" Daryl replied, his crossbow aimed at Tomas' head again. Everyone had their weapons aimed at the man, but none of them wanted to hit Kagome by accident.

"I don't think you've got any say in this hillbilly."

Kagome let them bicker, she was waiting. Waiting for the perfect moment to kick the guy's ass. She was sick of men doing this to her, no matter which world she found herself in they were all the same for the most part.

"You don't get it…" Tomas yelled while waving his gun away from Kagome's head and towards the group. It was the perfect opportunity for Kagome to act. She quickly grabbed his wrist and pushed it up, knowing he would reflexively pull the trigger, and when he did the bullet imbedded itself into the concrete ceiling. Kagome twisted his wrist painfully, causing him to drop the gun as his bones threatened to break under her surprisingly strong grip. Her elbow found his ribs and the back of her head slammed into his nose. Instantly Daryl was there hauling Tomas off his feet, and ramming him into the ground.

"Wrong move dumbass!" Daryl said as he fought not to bash the man's head in right then and there. After Tomas was yanked back onto his feet, though with a noticeable bloody nose, Rick faced off with him. The other inmates that had been following him had once again disappeared, leaving the lone maniac to fend for himself.

"You're not very smart are ya?" Rick asked while picking up the dropped firearm and putting it into the waistband of his pants. Glenn had motioned for the others to continue on and deliver the goods, he stayed to help. He stood next to Kagome and made sure she was ok, checking the back of her head and her whole person to make sure she wasn't harmed.

"Do it Mr. Lawman, shoot me!" Tomas growled while pulling against Daryl's grip.

"Don't Rick, it'll cause more noise than we need right now." Kagome said while letting Glenn be her support. Her head was throbbing from head-butting the asshole, and her vision was slightly blurred.

"She's gotta point man, but we can't let him go again." Daryl offered his opinion all the while making sure Tomas was in pain by twisting his arms.

"I'm aware a that." Their leader said while assessing the situation. Tomas was more danger than they needed, and it wouldn't be smart to let him go — either inside or outside the prison. Rick started to nod his head, and then without warning he raised his arm and sunk the blade of his machete into Tomas' skull. Daryl instantly let the body drop, then moving to check on Kagome himself.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine, but he had a hard head." She replied as she rubbed the back of her head again. The throbbing was easing up, but it was still tender and sore.

"Not no more he don't." Daryl said as he picked up the small woman into his arms, though of course she complained and he ignored her.

"I can walk ya know!" she grumbled.

"Whatever."

"Glenn, get T-Dog and get him out of here." Rick pointed to what was left of Tomas, and knew that Glenn would make sure the body was removed before nightfall. "Let's get back."

"Roger that."

OoOoO

"Where's the other two?" Lori asked as Hershel assessed Kagome's head, just for safety sake.

"They fled into the prison, we'll do a sweep an' make sure they're not a problem anymore tomorrow."

"Ok, at least we didn't lose anyone." She nodded. She had been worried when everyone returned except Kagome, Rick, Daryl, and Glenn. Then she worried all over again when Daryl walked in carrying Kagome. Maggie had told her that something was happening, but she was sure they had it under control. Hershel and Beth instantly jumped up and was fretting over the smaller Asian girl, but it was Rick that finally told her what had occurred.

"Yeah, how's everyone here?"

"We're good. Carol and I have been cleaning out the cells, washing the walls as best we can. Beth and Carl have been separating everyone's things, we're good." She said while smiling a little.

"What has been done with the two cooperative inmates?" Kagome asked once Hershel gave her a clear bill of health.

"They'll stay in the other section for tonight, we'll deal with them later." Rick responded, which Kagome just nodded in agreement.

"I'll take first watch." She volunteered, but was quickly shut down.

"Oh no, you'll take the last watch." Daryl and Glenn both piped up, making Maggie and Lori snicker. Glenn was very protective of Kagome; he had started to see her as a sister that he cared deeply for. Daryl was a different ball game, and everyone was actually enjoying seeing the man care for a girl.

"Whoa, whoa, jeez. Don't get your panties in a wad." Kagome put up her hands and smirked a little. "Fine, I'll take the last watch." She smiled and shook her head at the group. As with her old group from the feudal era, they were protective even when they knew she could handle herself. She found it endearing, sometimes annoying, but overall familiar and welcomed.

"Good." Daryl smirked a little, but turned and went to help put things away before nightfall.

OoOoO

Things were quiet, and most of everyone was sound asleep. Glenn was stationed as the watcher, and for the most part everything was peaceful. Except, Kagome couldn't sleep. Her eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling, lost in her thoughts. Thoughts of home, how she got there, the feudal era, what was to come still, and so on. She couldn't see an end to this…whatever this was, but either way she had to survive in this world now. A small sigh escaped her lips, and she closed her eyes for a moment.

"You're awake?" his soft voice had her looking to the cell-door. His deep voice doing things to her senses, and his nearness making her stomach flutter. In the heat of the day's activities Kagome had almost forgotten his effect on he.

"Yeah, can't sleep. You?"

"Naw." He agreed, moving to sit on the side of her bed. She scooted so her back was closer to the wall, allowing him to have more room. They were silent for a bit, just looking into the other's eyes. Kagome lightly patted the pillow next to her head, and he took the hint. Maneuvering until he rested on his side, facing her.

"I thought you weren't going to sleep in a cage?" her smirk signaled her teasing.

"I ain't sleepin', am I?" he gently bumped her nose and forehead with his.

"No, I guess not." She giggled. He was so warm, so safe. She relished in his company, and in way thanked her stupid actions that had led her to that moment. She hadn't felt this way in so long, and she highly doubted she would have ever found someone like him in real life.

"Why can't ya sleep?" he asked while caressing her face, sliding a strand of hair behind her ear. The action sending a new flood of butterflies into her middle.

"Just got a lot on my mind." And he just hummed his understanding, even though he didn't know everything. Once again they fell into silence, his hand slightly tickling her neck. They didn't know how long they stayed like that, but after a while he lowered to capture her lips with his. Instantly Kagome's arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer. Their kiss deepened. Daryl rolled until he was laying on top of the small woman, and she allowed him to nestle between her legs. There they stayed, kissing, nipping, and lightly caressing. Never did their hands drift under clothing, but she couldn't stop from massaging his ass, nor could his hands stay off hers. Occasionally he would venture to lavish her clothed breasts with attention, making her arch into him. They wanted to go further, Gods did they, but they both knew this wasn't the time. Maybe soon, but not now.

"If only we had met before all of this." Kagome said cryptically.

"I don't think Merle would've let me near ya." Daryl said, leaning down to nip her neck and drawing a gasping moan from her.

"Doesn't matter now, does it?" she smiled, "You're near me now."

"Damn right." He smirked before taking her lips again. Hours passed as they laid in each other's arms, never going further than caresses and kisses. But in their moans and teasing, they both conveyed that soon…they would show the other their passion.

**Ok, how's that for longer? Double my usual chapter length, and there was some citrus teasing for you too. I don't know how long it will be for the next chapter, I'm going to stop setting dates for myself, since life is so unpredictable. Thank you everyone for the amazing reviews, I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks of this chapter. Ja'ne! **


	21. Chapter 21

Noise was everywhere, deafening, unending noise. They had been outside working when suddenly the silence was shattered. Everyone had jumped the second the sound pierced the air, heads turned, searching for the source. Instantly, the previously cleared exercise yard filled with animated corpses. Kagome had been repairing a section of fence in the yard, and she was the first to react. Lori, Hershel, Beth, Maggie, and Carl had been walking around looking at everything. Suddenly Kagome had déjà vu, even without Lori being huge-pregnant, or Hershel now being in one whole piece, the show was taking the scripted route again. Pulling her knife, she plunged it into the nearest rotting head. Chaos ensued, people panicked, they split into different directions to get away from the chomping teeth. Kagome ended up with T-Dog and Carol, she lost track of everyone else. But if things went the way she figured they would, Lori wouldn't get out of this alive regardless of not being ready to have the baby. Lori still had a few months left until she would be safe to have Judith, but Kagome knew too well that if things were meant to be, then life would find a way to make it happen — no matter what world she was in.

"Back, hurry!" she yelled as she pushed Carol back into the doorway after T-Dog. Walkers were advancing and Kagome slammed the bars shut, the three of them retreating farther into the prison.

"What the hell was that?" T-Dog yelled. The blaring of the siren was louder inside the facility, echoing off the walls and causing their ears to throb.

"Someone must have thrown the generator switch!" Kagome yelled back, already knowing who and why. However, now was not the time to worry about that. They were quickly finding out that their section of the prison was no longer safe. Walkers were starting to flood the halls, meaning that somewhere the chains holding the doors had been cut.

"What do we do?" Carol yelled.

"Find a place to hold-up, then start picking them off." Kagome said, not even realizing she had impacted the plot yet again. She had kept T-Dog from closing the gates; therefore, he didn't get bit.

"We better hurry." T-Dog said as he pushed Carol and Kagome down another hallway. They found a door down the hall, rushed inside and then slammed it shut, using a broken broom handle to keep it closed against the amount of dead meat pushing against it. The sirens continued to echo off the walls in a deafening chant, but slowly the pulsing against the door stopped.

"Now?" Carol asked.

"Not yet, give it a little longer." Kagome placed her hand on the door, judging if there were any more walkers pushing against it. Her head was starting to hurt and pulse in time with the alarms. "I just hope Rick gets to the generators soon." She mumbled while looking at Carol and T-Dog. Just then, the noise stopped and silence permeates the little room they were in.

"Thank God!" Carol whispered. They slowly pulled the broomstick off the door and as quietly as possible pushed the door open. The hallway was empty, and other than their breathing it was completely quiet.

"Let's get back to our block and check on the others." Kagome said and began to lead the way. With only a few minor run-ins with the dead, they managed to get back outside. Only to watch as Maggie and Carl emerged covered in blood, and no baby in sight. They were all left to watch as Rick collapsed into a heap of brokenness, wailing and lost.

"Maggie?" Kagome asked softly as she approached the shell-shocked woman. Once their eyes connected, Maggie collapsed into Kagome's arms, crying uncontrollably. "Shhh." Kagome stroked her hair and tried to comfort her. Glenn knelt next to the two women, rubbing his girlfriend's back and looking around helplessly.

"I c…could…couldn't h…help her." It was muffled by Maggie's mouth being pressed into Kagome's shoulder, but they understood her. "W…we were s...surr…surrounded!"

"There were too many, mom...she…she pushed Maggie and me into a boiler room and shut the door behind us." Carl clarified not looking at anyone. His voice was empty, dead. "We couldn't open the door because she was against it…" He trailed off, but they all knew what the rest of the story was.

"Nooooo!" Rick wailed as he rolled around on the ground. No one spoke, not even Daryl. Daryl had stayed back, letting everyone mourn the loss.

"Shhh, you did what you could. She knew what she was doing." Kagome kept petting Maggie's hair and Glenn rubbed her back. Kagome had tears running down her face as well, internally beating herself up for not doing more. Somehow she had managed to save T-Dog, but Lori still died. Granted in her reality she had despised Lori, and hadn't felt too terrible about her fate in the show. But being there, in the midst of it all, it was an entirely different story — literally. Kagome felt the weight of a life lost, the loss of a child's mother, a man's wife, and a group's friend. It wasn't unfamiliar, the feeling of loss and guilt, but Kagome had hoped it would be an emotional combo that she wouldn't have to feel ever again.

"We managed to squeeze…to slip out when they finished feeding." Maggie choked, sounding like she was fighting to not puke.

"Shhh." Kagome continued while looking around at everyone again. "Daryl, can you get Rick?" She saw him nod his head and walk to pull/drag Rick back into the cell block. T-Dog moved to help him since Rick and Daryl were close to the same size, and together they managed to get him inside. Glenn picked Maggie up bridal-style and carried her in. Everyone else followed shortly afterward, all but Kagome. Once she was alone, she walked over to the fence-line and leaned against it. Slowly, so slowly, she felt her emotions bubbling to the surface. The guilt, the desperation, fear, depression, loss, anguish, all of it rose until she felt the tears running down her face. Her stomach gave a twist, and Kagome had to fight to keep the contents of her stomach in place. She breathed in really deep and let it out slowly, the salt of her tears was burning her dry face. 'This is my fate I guess, to always be the one who could change things but somehow fail in spite of trying my hardest,' she thought as she tried to calm down and dry her face.

Kagome heard someone walking up and quickly wiped her face, then turned to see Hershel coming towards her. She didn't bother trying to cover her mood, he would see through it.

"Are you alright? He asked once he was close enough for her to hear him. Hershel kept his gaze on her eyes the while time, she was a lot like Maggie because her eyes always gave her away. Kagome had become like another daughter to him in the show amount of time he knew her, and he cared a great deal for her well-being.

"Honestly, no. I'm not fine." She shook her head and managed to push away the tears again. It would do no good to continue to cry, what was done was done.

"I figured…" they both jumped and turned when a loud bang resounded around the yard. Kagome instantly eased a little when she saw Rick running full speed across the enclosure and into the block Maggie and Carl had come out of. A few of the other came out but stopped when they saw he was already out of sight. Kagome sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, then looked up to Hershel.

"They need us." She said, and arm in arm they walked into their block. The man that should be missing a leg was whole, the woman who was supposed to have a baby were both gone, and T-Dog was alive. So much was different now. Kagome realized that Daryl and Maggie would not have to go hunting for formula, meaning who knew how long now it would be before they ran into the Governor. One thing Kagome did know, though, was from that moment on there was going to be massive differences from what she remembered in the show. 'Life is such a bitch!' she thought angrily in her head before she walking into the block to check on everyone.

**Everyone breathe...I am alive. Guys, thank you so damn much for all the wonderful reviews! They made me smile and gave me hope. These last several months have been a nightmare y'all. The semester nearly whooped my ass, my father-in-law tried to kill himself with my two toddlers in the fucking house, and my youngest has had to have a second set of tubes put in his ears. I am so sorry it has taken me this long to write this little, but I reflect Kagome here, life is a bitch. I am on winter break though, so I have intentions, though we all know how that normally goes for me, to write on this like mad! Thank you again for all the support, it means more to me than I can express. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and I hope to have another chapter written within the week...hopefully. ;)**


	22. Chapter 22

"He's been gone a long time." Beth said as she played a game of cards with Carl in the stone hallway. Everyone had done a thorough search of the passageways and re-chained all the gates, they were all safe from the walkers once again. Kagome was sitting against the opposite wall from the younger ones, watching them while deep in thought. But, the sound of Beth's voice brought her back and Kagome looked up at the girl.

"Think I should go look for him?" Kagome asked with her eyes locked on Carl. She knew the boy was worried for his father, but even then, it appeared that he was not naïve to the temporary madness Rick had fallen into.

"Maybe…" he asked lightly, looking away from Kagome quickly and back to his cards. Kagome smiled a little, he reminded her a lot of Souta in many ways. Though, he was not her brother and this was not Japan. With a sigh, Kagome stood and habitually checked her weapons before nodding to Carol and Hershel and walked out. Maggie and Glenn were nowhere to be seen, but Kagome was sure they were somewhere mourning. Daryl was also absent, but this did not bother her. He was capable, and naturally sought isolation when under abundant strain.

Kagome stepped through the barred gate into the courtyard, instantly she saw Glenn, Daryl, T-Dog, and Maggie carrying the bodies of the walkers they killed into the grassy field. All thought of the dead in the courtyard had left her mind once the excitement was over. They had made good headway thus far, there was a pile of bodies out in the middle where a shallow hole had been dug. Most likely, they were going to burn the bodies. Kagome felt slightly guilty for not having realized what was going on, and having not helped. She walked up and grabbed the legs of a corpse just as Daryl picked up the shoulders. He nodded a little to her, and she smiled lightly as they carried the rotting clump of meat out to the heap.

"Why didn't you tell me you guys were doing this? I could've been helping this whole time."

"We got it, you were thinkin' a lot." He said while slinging the body on top of the others.

"Still, tell me next time there's work to be done, please?" She wiped her hands on her jeans and smirked at him. He looked up, and seeing that no one was looking at them he leaned over and pulled Kagome into a tight hug. When she glanced up he leaned down and she accepted the slow, but chaste, kiss.

"What brought ya outside anyhow?" he asked while pulling away from her and heading back.

"I was gonna go looking for Rick, he's been in the other block for a while and Carl's fidgety since he ran off. I just wanted to check on him." Kagome walked back with him, but when she saw him simply nod his head, she smiled and headed for the gate opposite their quarters. She pulled her blade out, just to be prepared, and entered into the concrete halls.

OoOoO

Kagome found Rick exactly where she thought she would: pacing the boiler room, with an old corded phone in front of him. After she made sure the door was secure, she slowly approached the pacing creature. His shoulders were tense, Kagome figured he had just "gotten off the phone" with the voices in his head. She watched him for a bit, assessing his body language and mood. Finally, she deemed it safe to approach.

"Rick?" she said softly, and thankfully he didn't jump but turned to her. "You ok?"

"It works…" he started. "…it works. Someone called, it…the phone…it rang and…"

"How can that be?" Kagome asked, trying to play along. "Look, the cord isn't attached to anything…" She moved to show him the frayed out cord, but was stopped when his large hand enclosed around her wrist. Kagome looked up, and there was something in Rick's eyes that unsettled her. "Rick?" she whispered uncertainly.

"Who's Inuyasha?"

**Ok, before anyone kills the author let me explain. The next chapter I am planning to be longer, but that takes time and I am going to try my hardest to get it done shortly after New Years. We are in the process of finding a house to move to, but that shouldn't happen for a few weeks or so. I have a plan for this, and it's slowly coming together. Hang on y'all, things are about to get complicated. ;) Thank you for all the support, y'all are amazing!**


	23. Chapter 23

Her blood ran as cold as an artic breeze, and every muscle in her body seized into a stone-like stillness. Kagome's eyes were still locked onto Rick's. His eyes were searching hers like a mad-man. Neither spoke for God-knew-how-long; Rick's breathing could be heard above all else, and Kagome had to force her lungs to function once again. 'Did he…did I hear right?' she thought in a semi-panic.

"What?" her voice was the barest whisper, she doubted even Sesshoumaru could've have trouble hearing her.

"Who…is…Inuyasha?" his pronunciation was perfect, and Kagome could not deny that indeed that was the name Rick had spoken. 'But how?' she thought.

"How…" she began to speak her mind but he stopped her.

"The phone." Was all he said at first, but after a moment he continued. "It rang, and when I answered it…YOU were on the other end." He kept a hold on her wrist, but his grip was not threatening. Kagome did not fear Rick himself, she feared what she was about to hear.

"Me? I don't under…"

"It was you, but it wasn't. Your voice was differ'nt, it was higher, like Beth's." he explained. "Ya called me Inuyasha first, then ya changed an' said "Rick?" like you were confused." He looked confused as he said it, but Kagome's brain was running wild with possibilities.

"How do you know it was me?" she asked trying to calm her rapid breathing. Her heart was pounding and it felt like it was in her throat. Her skin felt cold and clammy, even to herself.

"Ya sounded confused, but then ya said something about a wish or somethang…then the line went dead." He finished. The entire time he kept a grip on her wrist and holding her gaze. It took a few minutes for everything to sink in, but even then Kagome was lost and fearful. This changed things, and now there was the issue of whether to tell Rick or not. "Who's Inuyasha?" He asked for a third time. Kagome quickly racked her brain, 'What do I tell him? The truth? Would he believe me?'

"It's complicated." She ended up saying, which even to her sounded lame and unsatisfactory. "You wouldn't believe me…"

"Try me Kags!" Rick demanded. His voice conveyed determination without hostility. She was thankful for that, but it still didn't lessen the ludicrousy of the situation.

"Rick, please don't…" She asked and pulled back away from him. Kagome looked at the phone, and pulled the cord up and saw that, indeed, the cord was frayed and unattached to anything. 'How the hell?' she thought to herself.

"Kags, I've trusted you since we found ya. The whole group has, but you haven't told us anythang about before that." He stepped closer to her still.

"It's complicated." She repeated while still analyzing the phone.

"Un-complicate it for me then." She could feel his body heat next to her, but she wasn't intimidated. She knew he wouldn't do anything to her, he might try to bluff her into talking, but she knew that game.

"I wish it were that easy, but it's not. I don't know how this thing worked, but please don't dig into what you heard. Just trust me, like you've been doing." She asked with a pleading look. They were silent for some time, Rick seemed to be searching for something. Kagome didn't know what, but she held his gaze and stayed steady.

"Fine, for now, but I'm still gonna want answers at some point." he looked serious, and Kagome knew he would keep to the promise.

"Fine." She nodded with a small smile.

"At least tell me who this Inuyasha person is." Kagome looked down and swallowed. Rick waited patiently for her to answer him.

"He…was a dear friend. I loved him like a brother." She replied as best as she could, and tried to leave it at that. It was the truth, but even she knew it caused more questions. Kagome could see them swimming in the man's eyes as he thought, most likely trying to determine if he could ask or not. "Carl's worried about you." She decided to try and bring him back to the present, and away from her past. He pulled back a little, and then it seemed his head cleared. After a nod, he followed her away from the mysterious device with a tattered cord.

OoOoO

Kagome attempted to stay busy through the next day after the incident with the phone, and away from Rick. Once all the bodies were burned, and the debris cleared away, she took the chance to slip off by herself. It wasn't quite mid-day, so the sun was beaming down and making the air nice and crisp. Once she cleared the fence and re-secured the opening, she melted into the trees and out of sight. When Kagome felt she was far enough away, she took in a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. Looking up, she scanned the branches of the trees until she saw one mid-way up a large oak. With a glance around to make sure there were no walkers near, she began to climb the tree up to her desired perch. With a quiet sigh, Kagome pulled herself onto the limb, crossed her legs, and began to drift into a meditative state. Everything that had occurred in such a short amount of time called for her to bring her internal battles to an end. She needed balance, peace of some sort, and to do that she needed to meditate. Doing so within the walls of the prison was practically impossible. People were constantly trying to check on her, ask her something, or seek her assistance with something. She didn't mind of course, but she desperately needed some Kagome-time.

Time passed with the wind through the leaves, leaves that were just now falling to their wintery rest upon the brown grass. They would survive the winter in the prison, without Lori, but with Hershel and T-Dog. It was a small price to pay, but then again, this was going to cause unforeseen changes to the plot. Kagome knew that it was only a matter of time before the changes were made known, and she needed to be clear-headed in order to handle it. The Feudal era had been unmerciful when she changed events, and she expected the same in this instance as well. She knew the Governor was out there, and not far off if she recalled correctly. Though, the group arrived at the prison sooner than in the show, so hopefully they would go several months without having to worry about that. However, Kagome knew that things were never so simple. If her changes to the plot did anything to impending knowledge of Woodbury, then the two groups would probably clash sooner than she remembered.

'Now, how to handle Rick.' Kagome thought as she took in another deep breath. This was a twist she had not anticipated. How did another her get through on that disconnected device? How could it have happened? What should she tell, or not tell, Rick? So many questions, and not enough answers. Kagome acknowledged she would have to tell him something, but doubt dwelled in her gut as to whether she should completely divulge the truth. One person knowing shouldn't make much difference, her mother, brother, and grandfather had known of her time-traveling and that had not caused issue. But could he keep her secret? Kagome didn't want Daryl to know, that would be awkward and difficult to explain. 'Yes Daryl, I've crushed on you through a television screen for a long time.' She thought sarcastically, 'Yeah, that would go over really well.'

Finally, she was able to clear her mind and put her powers and spirit to right. She hadn't been using her powers lately and they were becoming anxious, maybe she could expel some energy with target practice. She'd have to be careful about who saw, or how much power she used, but it was the only way she could think of at the moment. When she felt the sun had shifted a considerable amount, she pulled herself slowly out of her mind and back to her reality. The air was colder. Glancing up, she had been on the branch for a good four or five hours. With a fluid kick-off, she twisted and landed on the ground with little sound. She made sure no walkers were near still, then headed back to the prison. Daryl was probably looking for her, but he knew that she needed to be alone sometimes. He didn't know why specifically, but he wasn't one to pester someone with questions unless he felt it necessary. Though, Kagome was sure that he would still try getting her to answer why she had been gone for so long. Oh, how she wanted to tell him, to let him know her secrets. But how would the truth be received was the problem, she didn't know if she could handle rejection or being looked at as a freak. She had felt all of that at some point in her life, and she wasn't keen on feeling it all over again.

OoOoO

"Where've ya been?" it was instant. The moment she was in eye-sight Daryl was on her like stink on a skunk. He was looking all over her, making sure she wasn't bit, scratched, or harmed in any way. Most of the time she found it sweet, but this was getting to be slightly annoying.

"I needed to be alone." She answered.

"All day?" he demanded softly. He wasn't happy, he had been worried for a good part of the afternoon.

"It wasn't all day, just a few hours." She responded as she walked past some of the others and into her cell.

"Kags…" she could hear the slight irritation in his voice and fought back a smirk.

"Daryl…" she mimicked his tone while sitting on her bunk and taking her shoes off. Kagome glanced up and met his gaze. He had cleaned up a little, which she didn't remember him doing in the show all that often, another reason for her to edge ever closer to loving the man. Her mind stopped working for a moment at the feeling, then with a shake of her head, she refocused. 'Can't go there.'

"Where were ya?" he asked again.

"Outside." She said smirking.

"Where?" he pushed. He walked closer and crouched down in front of her. Kagome could smell him, the earthy musk of a country-red-neck. It triggered a hormonal reaction that she had to stomp down and ignore.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" she cocked her head to the side, which allowed for her long black hair to fall to one side, exposing one side of her neck.

"Why ain't ya tellin' me?" he countered, leaning closer to her without breaking eye contact. Kagome could feel his breath on her face. It was causing more bodily reactions that Kagome was losing interest in fighting. He smelled amazing, looked amazing, and she knew that a little closer and he would taste amazing.

"Maybe, I like making you beg." She also loved teasing him. She noticed his slight narrowing of his eyes, and the minor upturn of his lips; he loved her teasing him.

"I ain't beggin'."

"Not yet."

"Ain't ever gonna." He leaned in and Kagome let her eyes slip shut as the warmth of his mouth, and the strength of his arms possessed her comprehension. She breathed him, tasted him, felt him; he dominated her ever sense and being. Her arms lifted to wrap around his shoulders. She felt an arm slip under her knees and lift her slightly, moving her further up the mattress. It was a small blessing that her cell was so far from the rest of the group, no one would see anything. He was all hers in that moment, and she all his. Kagome welcomed his weight on top of her, the glorious encasement of his flesh around hers. Their lips never parted, but their hands refused to be idle. He slipped a calloused hand under her body, and under her shirt to feel her soft yet scarred skin. He had yet to ask where all the scars came from, but he intended to someday. Slowly, one at a time, so it took years to know her history and her pains. She was his enigma.

"Daryl…" Kagome breathed against his lips. The plead for more and yet desperate for deliverance from her feelings. He wasn't real, in another world. He was a fictional character, a man she drooled over from her couch. Yet here he was: hot, solid, touching her in ways she had only ever dreamed of, and still she clung to the knowledge of his fictionality. While she clung to this notion, her flesh begged for his attentions. His hands kneaded her back, ribs, and oh so close to her breasts that her back instinctively arched against him.

"Who's beggin' now?" his voice was gravel in her ears, sending a jolt of need down her spine to her core. It took a couple of seconds for her mind to realize what he said, then she chuckled.

"I haven't said please yet." She whispered while lightly biting his earlobe, making him gasp.

"You will." He promised, but then pulled back with a slow tormenting kiss. "But right now, we need to prep for a supply run." And then he was gone.

Kagome laid on her bed staring at where his back had been, and had to fight down the compulsion to growl in aggravation. Her body was throbbing, and he had kindled the fire only to walk away and let it smolder. 'Asshole!' she growled within the confines of her mind before she pulled her shoes back on, and tried NOT to stomp out of her cell like a child.

OoOoO

"It's getting too late for a supply run, we can do it at first light." Kagome was standing with the group just outside the doors to the block. The sun was almost completely gone, but they were running low on supplies and winter was at on their doorstep. It wouldn't be long before temperatures dropped to below freezing, and heat was going to be hard to come by in a concrete box.

"Agreed, y'all don't need to be out after dark." Hershel spoke and looked pointedly at Rick, who was feeling pressured to make sure they would survive. No one had spoken of the Lori issue, and so far he didn't seem like he was seeing things, so maybe they could skip over that little dramatic piece. Though, Kagome wasn't convinced it was out yet. Rick had been high-strung since that day, the day that had changed so much, and she wasn't sure if it was good or bad. She was leaning towards the latter, but she just couldn't tell for sure.

"Fine by me." Daryl nodded, he wasn't keen to be on his bike at night while trying to find food and gas either. He knew he didn't really have to worry about protecting Kagome, the woman could kick ass with the best of them, but his protective instincts still favored not taking her with him at night.

"We have food and if need be we can double up in bunks to share body heat." Carol shrugged her shoulders, she didn't see the immediate need for a run. They had the means to survive a night or two easy. It wasn't too cold at night yet, maybe hitting high 40s or so. They had some thick clothing and a couple of blankets.

"A'right, a'right, tomorrow then. Daryl, you and Kags go to the west and see what you can find; T-Dog, Glenn, and I will take the east. Everyone else stays here."

They all agreed. Kagome had first watch, even though Daryl had been against it she assured him that she would rotate as she should. She needed some sleep to be able to be alert on their run the next day, so he needed to chill and let her take watch. He ended up conceding, but only with the threat that he would be pissed if she didn't switch in four hours. Everyone turned in and before long Kagome heard the chorus of snores. She smiled while adjusting the rifle on her back, and the hand-gun at her hip. She made the usual rounds, checking the doors, looking through the windows and peep holes at the fences, and so on. Things were quiet, other than the basic gurgling sounds of walkers at the far fence borders, and the occasional snore or snort of her cell-mates. Kagome leaned against the wall next to one of the windows, when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Everyone's out." Rick said while hooking his thumbs in his belt-loops.

"You should be too." She replied.

"Maybe, but we need to talk."

"About what?" even though she knew what he was wanted to talk about, she didn't really want to. He stepped closer and leaned against the wall on the other side of the window, where he could see her face in the moonlight.

"Why was it you?" he asked. It took her a minute of thinking before she spoke.

"I don't know, but I have a theory." She said looking outside, "it's not going to make any sense to you though."

"Try." He tilted his head down a little and kept looking at her. Kagome took a breath, and decided to take the plunge.

"I think you heard an alternate reality version of me, a Kagome that exists in a different world and time than this one." She said slowly, keeping her eyes on the moon. "I haven't told you anything about me because I…I don't think you'll believe me, but now I guess I have no choice but to tell. At least for this to make any form of sense and I have to trust that you won't assume I'm nuts." She glanced at his face, and it was the same as before. No look of suspicion, nothing to tell her if he thought her crazy…yet.

"Where I'm from, it is a world much like what this one used to be. But, you're not real." She paused and stared at him. She saw his eyebrows narrow, and decided to push on. "You and the others are fictional characters in a television show, a show that originated as a comic-book series…"

"Wait, wait…how…" he stammered.

"I don't know how. All I know is, I was a fan of the show and I watched it all the time when I was home. Until one night when I was star-gazing and I childishly wished on a shooting star. The next morning, I woke up not in my apartment, but in the woods right before you and Daryl found me." She shook her head and looked to the ceiling, it sounded so damn crazy even though she knew it to be true. "The Kagome you heard over the phone must have been the me that still exists in that other place, the voice being higher means the other me is younger than I am now. I don't know how, I don't know why, and hell…I don't even know if you're going to believe me or just shoot me for being a crazy bitch. But I'm telling the truth." She finished and waited. He was silent, looking at her with his eyebrows pulled together. She waited, letting him take in everything she had said, and waited for his reaction.

"And the wish was…"

"To be in the world of the show, where fighting and surviving was the goal, to be here with you and the group." She looked down and took a shaky breath, she had been an idiot to make such a wish.

"Another world?"

"Yeah."

"And this 'show' we're supposedly in, what happens?" he leaned in a little.

"Rick, I can't say anymore. My being here has changed so much from the show I watched. Your group should be wondering the woods and struggling to survive right now, but instead I made sure we found the prison earlier than you should've."

"What?" he shook his head; it was apparent that he was having a hard time understanding it all.

"You and the others were supposed to be out there for eight months before finding this place, not just a week."

"And you changed that?"

"Yeah."

"Anythang else you've changed?" she was surprised he was playing along, but she would indulge him.

"T-Dog should've died the day the alarms went off, Hershel was supposed to get bit on the leg and you were meant to cut off his leg with an axe to keep him from turning…and…" she knew this would really get his attention. "Lori was meant to live to have the baby, not die like she did." Again, there was silence.

"The baby…she had the baby?" he whispered brokenly.

"She would've died still, but it would've been because Maggie had to do a C-section and Lori should've hemorrhaged and died in child-birth. Carl would've shot her in the head afterwards to keep her from turning." Kagome finished in a pained voice, knowing this was going to affect him. "It was going to be a girl; Carl would've named the baby Judith."

"Girl…" he whispered and looked down. Then back up and into Kagome's eyes. "You being here changed all 'at?" Kagome nodded without saying anything, she didn't know what to say.

"Anythang else?"

"Do you believe me?"

"I don't know, but if you're telling me the truth then you should know what happens next right?"

"No, not completely. So much has changed, and I don't know what else might happen because of the changes." She shook her head negatively.

"And this Inuyasha? He's from your other world?" Kagome nodded her head with a sigh.

"This isn't the first weird time-jump or world-jump I've done. Inuyasha was a friend I met in a world different from mine, and this one. It's a long complicated story Rick, but I need to know if you believe me or not…or do you think I'm crazy?" she asked. It was a few minutes before Rick answered.

"It's a crazy story, but it explains a lot." He looked down then back up. "You're different than others we've met, even before this outbreak. And if this world really was a show in yours then it explains how you've known some thangs that you shouldn't have."

"So you believe me?" she asked hopefully.

"I have to at this point. Ya saved my life with Shane…wait, you knew he was going to kill me didn't you?" he asked while looking at her slightly different now.

"I knew everything that was going to happen at the farm, I knew when Shane got back from the run that he had killed Otis. I knew when you brought Randell back what was going to happen with him. Yes, Rick, I knew. I changed a few things but for the most part I did my best to keep things as they should've been, but I've failed miserably now." She walked away from the wall for a moment, then walked back and placed both of her hands against the wall. "I don't know anymore Rick. Things very well could be completely different than what I knew from the show, or things might go similarly anyway, I don't know."

"What's coming next then? If it goes according to what ya know that is." He asked. It was probably crazy of him to believe her, but he couldn't help but believe her. She was confident in her story, and as a cop he could see she wasn't lying, and she didn't have that crazed look either.

"Andrea's still alive, that much I know. She's with a woman by the name of Michonne, but it should be months before we see either one of them. There's going to be a lot coming, I just don't know when exactly." She breathed and then ran a hand down her face. "I shouldn't have told you that much, knowing the future can cause more trouble than not knowing, trust me on that."

"Gawd…" Rick looked away, and walked around for a moment.

"You might start seeing things Rick, in the show you started to see Lori everywhere." Kagome said while watching the man.

"I already have…" He stopped and let his shoulders sink, if her knowing that part of him told him anything it was that she was telling the truth. He had been seeing Lori, but hadn't told or let anyone know he was.

"I'm sorry." Kagome sighed again, "What now?"

"We don't tell the others anythang, they will think both of us has lost it." Rick said as he stood next to her, both staring out the window into the night. The snoring of the others was the only noise for a bit, both Rick and Kagome were lost in their own thoughts. Until something occurred to Kagome.

"What all did my younger-self say?"

"Ya mistook me for this Inu-person, then you called me by name as I said. Ya mentioned something about the wish, I couldn't make out what exactly, but the line went dead after that."

"My younger-self knew about my wish? That doesn't make any sense…" Kagome drifted into her thoughts again, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. She'd have to go look at that phone again, if it was a type of portal, like the well had been, then maybe she could figure out how to get home.

"Does any a this make sense Kags?" Rick asked with a smirk.

"Not really no, but maybe it will in time." She chuckled a little, "You need to get some sleep, there's still time before I wake Maggie to take watch for me. We'll talk more about this later."

"A'ight, stay sharp." He nodded his head, then walked down the block to his cell. Kagome had even more to think about now, and that damn phone was at the top of the list. But, there had been something else she had intended to do while she was alone and the others were asleep. Kagome had decided that instead of target practice with her powers, she would use them for perimeter surveillance. She walked to the main door and sat with her back to the metal, she crossed her legs while keeping all her weapons in semi-comfortable positions, and closed her eyes. She let the seal around her powers slowly fall away and breathed in relief as they exploded in an invisible dome out away from her. She let it reach over the entire prison, ending at the most outer fence-line. She could 'see' every walker, animal, and person within the space. She saw where each of her companions were, the walkers deeper in the prison and outside, and the rats that were a few blocks over. Kagome knew she could easily let the dome go larger, but there was no need for that. This helped her so much, this small amount of release. Her powers were licking along her skin in appreciation for the attention. She would need to use them more often. She could probably get away with small healing, some added power to bullets, and the occasional protection barrier without anyone noticing anything.

Time passed with nothing eventful occurring after her talk with Rick, which she was grateful for. Once she sensed that it was time for her to let Maggie take over, she pulled her power back into her body. Instantly, she could tell the difference. Her body was relaxed, and her mind was at ease. She could fall asleep without issue now. Kagome stood, and slipped into Maggie and Glenn's cell. For a moment, she smiled at the loving embrace they were sleeping in. It was a little rough having to pull her from him when they looked so at peace. But Kagome had promised, and she really didn't want to push too hard on Daryl's patience, at least not right now. So, with a soft sigh, Kagome leaned down and lightly shook Maggie's shoulder to wake her. Once the other woman was awake and taking the weapons from Kagome, they gave a small hug and parted. Kagome silently passed by everyone's cells, and Daryl's snoring form on the platform. She pushed down a laugh, 'doesn't snore my ass, he could pass for a demon-possessed chainsaw' she thought. Like she figured, once she was changed and laying in her bed, she found sleep almost instantly.

**Alrighty, I hope this gives some answers to the questions I received in reviews. Everything hasn't been explained, and it will come together slowly. Be patient with me, you won't regret it. Now, I can't say when the next chapter will be up with everything going on in life right now. I can promise I will not abandon this story, so don't worry about that. Thank you as always for the wonderful reviews, keep them coming and I look forward to reading everyone's thoughts and insights. Happy New Year everyone, may 2017 be ever in your favor.**


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